Zootopia: THE RAID
by 14sleepyhead09
Summary: When a ZPD raid goes badly wrong, Judy is wounded and forced to stay back while Nick and the SWAT team enter a living hell to take down a ruthless crime lord, but there's more to this sinister criminal organisation than it seems, especially when familiar blue flowers are involved, a dastardly plot is uncovered… and only the ZPD SWAT newest recruits can stop it. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary**

5 Cops… 20 square blocks… 1 ruthless crime-lord… 1 army of armed criminals… 60 minutes of carnage…

A notorious crime lord has made his headquarters in the derelict Zootopia Borough of Happytown, and when the ZPD comes knocking… he doesn't intend to come quietly. After three years on the Force and passing their training, it's now Nick and Judy's first time on the SWAT Team, but when Judy is wounded early on, she is forced to sit on the side-lines as Nick goes on without her. However, the ZPD have vastly underestimated their suspect, and there may be more to this criminal organisation than first thought when the mission goes badly wrong, throwing the SWAT Team into what can only be described as a living hell as they are forced to fight for their survival. As Nick knows Happytown like the back of his paw, he suddenly finds himself leading the SWAT Team against a ruthless enemy; having to apply his knowledge of the streets, back-alleys, buildings, short-cuts and hiding-places of his old abandoned neighbourhood in order for him and his fellow Officers to complete the mission… and come out alive. And throughout the chaos, when faced with the possibility of losing each other… _even_ while apart, Nick and Judy come to realise how much they truly mean to each other.

 **A/N: Inspired by the Indonesian martial arts action crime-thriller '** ** _The Raid_** **' or '** ** _The Raid: Redemption_** **' depending on which country you're in, and various other sources of inspiration. This will be (I hope) an adrenaline filled thrill of a read because I wanted to write something different for a Zootopia fic. However I have tried to keep depictions of blood and gore vague and "** ** _censored_** **" swearing to keep this Rated 'T'. However if anyone feels it should be 'M' just let me know because the last thing I want to do is offend or traumatise someone… But this fic** ** _is_** **inspired by 'The Raid' (with significant differences, and other inspirations) so if you know that film then you should sort of know what to expect…**

 **… Strong violence throughout, blood, gore and all that stuff, plus a fair amount of swearing. It will probably go a bit over the top, and characters may or may not go a bit out-of-character… so you have been warned. Personally I would rate this story more like a 15A or PG-15... Action Crime Thriller with a _hint_ of Humour and Romance.**

 **But enough of disclaimers. Read on…**

 **And please, enjoy yourself. ;)**

* * *

'Zootopia/Zootropolis' (C) Disney

 **' _Zootopia: THE RAID_ '**

* * *

Chapter 1

 _ **'Down and Out'**_

* * *

Zootopia… the bustling, metropolitan crown jewel of the world… a megacity with an ever expanding population containing every different species of mammal in existence under the sun. A city that never slept, a city built by mammals, for mammals- for _every_ mammal. It was a city where anyone could be anything… a glistening monument to the ideology of all mammals living together in harmony…

An ideology tainted by the quest for power.

Every city has its demons, and Zootopia was no exception; ever since the resolution of the Savage Attacks Crisis, the city had been a secret battleground:

A Cold War, of Cop verses Criminal…

And today that war would end.

* * *

The ZPD had been investigating this guy for three years.

 _Three years._

And now they _finally_ had him cornered.

Roan Fyodorov: 'The Black Cat' as he was more known as; a Panther; notorious drug-lord, money launderer, arms-dealer… the list of high level crimes goes on and on, and he was a known predator supremacist fanatic. It was a family business too, along with his partner in crime, and partner in life; his wife, Madelyn Fyodorov; a Coyote. That merger of feline and canine along with the other predator families was the foundation of the Fyodorov's organisation, to which didn't have a public name. The organisation was as elusive as its leaders.

At first they were ghosts, performing minor offences and petty crimes… but as their organisation grew, they soon branched out…

Grand larceny.

Kidnappings.

Murders.

Shootings.

Bombings.

All of their victims being prey species... It was quite clear, the Fyodorov's had taken serious offence at former Mayor Bellwether's plot to demonise all predators and establish prey as the dominant power. Their actions of the previous three years after the infamous Savage Attacks had now put Roan and Madelyn Fyodorov at the top of the list for _Zootopia's Most Wanted_.

And now, after getting an Officer successfully undercover, tracking their arms deal vans and interrogating known dealers for their drugs-trade, the ZPD had now finally triangulated the organisation's headquarters; inside the forgotten old Quarantine Zone: a deserted set of blocks in the derelict Zootopia Borough of Happytown… the most ironically named place in the world.

Now they were ready to take them in.

And it wouldn't be easy.

The Fyodorov's had practically a small army of supporters who were just as fanatical as them and an unknowable stock of weaponry.

It would take an army to bring them down.

And Zootopia had one… the blue fury of the Zootopia Police Department…

* * *

Officer Hopps and Wilde were the spear head: tracking a vehicle known to be used to transport arms and ammunition around the city, which Madelyn Fyodorov often marked off personally, that was how they would get to her… and getting to her would get to Roan Fyodorov.

In downtown Zootopia, Nick and Judy sat patiently, yet nervously, in their unmarked police car. The Fox and the Bunny's smaller stature and smaller unmarked vehicle was far more discreet than most; that was the intention.

They sat there… Waiting… Watching… For the moment the unmarked white van they were looking for would pass; they knew it would travel down this particular route, the two of them had worked it out themselves... Their suspects _were_ smart, but not _that_ smart... and the Fyodorov's had been getting sloppy as of late.

The day was abnormally bright, especially for early morning; the sun shone down its heavenly glow on an empty azure canvas where it merged with a fierce red from where the omnipotent glowing orb had just risen from the horizon…

A truly glorious day of weather.

Or the calm before the coming storm.

Which wasn't far from the truth. The Zootopia Weather Service had previously issued a major storm warning for the entire county, as a cyclonic super storm had been working its way up the coast, and the calm conditions was a result of its approach. Zootopia was usually spared from such harsh natural weather due its natural temperate climate and highly advanced climate control systems… but it wasn't estranged from it either. Occasionally a large storm would break through and wreak meagre havoc until the city's climate control systems would cause it to dissipate. However, the weather service had earlier revoked its severe weather warning as the superstorm had passed harmlessly up the coast.

At the present moment, the weather was as calm as it could be, but the wonderful meteorological conditions were the least of worries to the two Police Officer's- a complete contrast their current mood as they watched every other mammal go about a normal day in amongst the colossal glass and steel towers of the city centre, completely oblivious to what was about to-

There it was.

Judy saw it in the mirrors: a single unmarked white van… one that _really_ needed to go through a car wash. She allowed it to drive by, both the Fox and the Bunny looking away as it drove past, pretending to be a simple odd couple on their way to work in the morning (which they technically were). The van stopped at a set of red lights. Judy now turned to look, and Nick pulled down his aviators so they could both take a firm stare at the licence plate, analysing the number intently.

Satisfied, they nodded to each other. The Rabbit calmly reached over to their car's radio;

"Chief, got eyes on our vehicle… a dirty, white unmarked van just as expected, and the plates are match… we're tailing now,"

" _Copy…_ _Keep your distance_ , _and stay inconspicuous_ ," Bogo's voice came through the radio.

"Roger that,"

Judy pulled out from the curb, going slowly and keeping her distance as ordered - staying at least five cars behind. Nick, in the passenger seat, was abnormally silent, he had taken his sunglasses off now; his emerald eyes firmly fixed on the dirty white van. His expression was emotionless as he tapped his hip holster that was holding his Glock 17 handgun. Judy was no different, but focussed more on the position of the vehicle and trying to drive casually: two paws firmly on the wheel, checking her mirrors, and calm gear changes.

The minutes went by…

The van had exited Downtown now, pulling over on several occasions, only for one of the occupants to pop out for a quick stop into a shop or something similar. A long period of silent driving broke the gap between stops, only furthering Nick and Judy's nerves. The second stop had now entered the littered streets of Happytown.

Every halt was a chance at gathering more information; they had now confirmed there were three mammals in the van: two wolves, and a lynx. However, every stop was also nerve-rackingly agonising. These mammals were dangerous. They had killed cops and Nick and Judy knew that. Bogo knew that. The whole ZPD knew that. There was always the chance they could easily pop out with a pistol or something bigger and shoot them.

But nothing happened… the suspects just drove off again... but still without any sign of the Coyote they were looking for.

On the other end of the radio, the silence was killing the Chief.

" _Any sign of our canid?"_ Bogo's voice blurted out, clearly irritable.

"Negative… they've stopped twice already, no sign of her," Judy spoke.

Suddenly the van pulled over again for the last time, stopping outside a rundown old apartment block, on an abnormally empty side street.

"Wait… this might be show-time…" Nick muttered.

"Hold on… they've stopped again," Judy said quietly into the radio, "Standby…"

Judy touched the brakes lightly, parking the car over on the side of the road a good distance from the van. Nick un-holstered his firearm and rested it on his lap, the trigger gripped firmly.

The two Officer's watched the scene anxiously… The passenger side door of the van opened as the one wolf stepped out, while the lynx exited the sliding side door, both of them now strolling over to the entrance of the apartment block…

A Coyote walked out of the building.

"Nick…" Judy looked to him, signalling his cue.

Analysing the criminal was his job, having studied the suspects extensively, prior to this day.

"Coyote…" Nick began, "Female, middle-aged… black, brown and light-grey fur pattern… slight limp on left leg, scar behind nose…"

"Is it her?" Judy asked.

"… Industrial piecing on left ear… perma-dye tattoo on neck… Yep… that's our mammal,"

This was it.

Judy spoke back into the radio:

"All units, we have a positive ID on Madelyn Fyodorov, we're moving in-"

" _Negative Hopps_ , _hold your position and wait for backup_ ,"

Judy lightly huffed in annoyance of that order as she put the radio down and sat back in her seat.

"She doesn't look too pleased to see these guys…" Nick muttered suspiciously, referring to the Coyote, as he watched the scene.

"Well her day's about to get a whole lot worse…" Judy said confidently.

Outside, the Coyote, the wolf and the lynx were clearly having a heated argument. The smaller canid was clearly trying to not raise her voice, but Nick could see her scowling face, and her ears had folded back…

Suddenly the lynx started backing off with his paws raised, as if telling the Coyote to calm down.

In the commotion, Nick also noticed…

The angered Coyote glanced at his and Judy's car.

"Carrots… Back up…"

"Backup's coming Nick…"

The angered Coyote glanced again, this time longer.

"No, I mean reverse!"

That's when Judy noticed too. Especially when Madelyn had now pointed at their vehicle. All three mammals now looking their direction…

"Reverse NOW!"

Judy immediately slammed the gear stick into the correct position but before she could drive it was too late...

Madelyn pulled out a weapon, seemingly from nowhere; A Beretta 93 Raffrica machine pistol, swiftly raising it and quickly putting down the wolf and the lynx that had led to Police right to her before they even noticed, with two sets of three repeated loud pops from the weapon.

The wolf and lynx fell to the floor dead, blood spewing from the wounds and over the concrete pavement.

Judy dived for the car radio:

"SHOTS FIRED! SHOTS FIRED!"

The other wolf in the van then came round the back of the vehicle, wielding a pistol of his own. But before he could even raise his arm he was quickly shot in the torso, neck and face as Madelyn fired her three-round burst pistol. The wolf joined his companions on the floor in a puddle of crimson.

Madelyn then changed to her final two targets; the Fox and the Bunny in the unmarked police car.

"DOWN!" Nick yelled.

He and Judy dived behind the dashboard as the slams and cracks of bullets hitting the windscreen peppered the glass. A second later it shattered, showering the two of them with the crystalline shards.

" _Hopps! Wilde! What's going on? HOPPS! WILDE! DO YOU COPY!?_ "

Nick violently smashed his door open, rolling out and aiming his G17 and firing three deterrent shots in the Coyote's direction. Madelyn was reloading at the time, and ducked at the sound. With another three round burst at Nick's car door, she immediately turned tail and began running down the road.

Nick climbed back into the car immediately grabbing the radio, and shouting down it:

"We're ok…"

Judy was clearly shocked, as her breathing was quick… not that Nick's was much different.

"That broke the glass!" Judy exclaimed, "It's supposed to be bullet proof!"

"Might be AP ammo," Nick theorised, placing a paw on her shoulder, "Come on Carrots! She's getting away!"

Judy immediately reformed her composure; that usual ' _Judy Hopps_ ' level of determination returned in an instant. They had a job to do. She hopped out their car and began running with Nick in pursuit of their suspect.

"Suspect is running and armed! Three other suspects down! Possible armour-piercing ammunition!" Judy shouted down her personal radio, "We're pursuing on foot!"

" _Received… All Units move in! Set up the perimeter!_ "

* * *

More gunshots.

Screams.

The Fox and the Bunny turned the corner.

Their suspect was ahead.

Civilians started running scared in the streets. A few unlucky ones falling to the pavement in a small puddle of blood – Madelyn was certainly making a scene of her escape.

"Multiple gunshots into crowds!" Judy shouted into her radio again, "Send paramedics!"

" _Copy that_ ,"

The crowds grew wild in terror, Nick and Judy finding it hard to keep up and keep an eye on the fleeing Coyote.

"ZPD! MOVE!" Nick yelled the highest volume his voice would allow.

Sirens began to fill the air.

Through the panicking crowds Judy saw their suspect turn right at the intersection ahead.

"Split up!" She called to Nick "… I'll cut her off, you tail her,"

"Got it!"

Nick continued to follow, turning right as Judy went onwards.

A clear sight on the suspect; Nick could draw his weapon and finish this now, but there were too many civilians about… even if he was a good shot, he couldn't risk it.

He second guessed that decision when the Coyote glanced behind her, and upon seeing the Fox in pursuit, decided to fire her weapon blindly behind her.

Nick scarcely missed his last breath as he rolled diagonally to avoid the three round burst, a bullet narrowly passing by his right ear. He realised as he got back up that shot was only meant to stall him, not kill him, as the suspect was now much further ahead.

But Madelyn was suddenly stopped when a ZPD SWAT van pulled up down the road. She turned left into the four lane roadway, dodging the traffic to the opposite side.

Nick followed still, also jumping into the road without regard for his safety. He didn't take his eyes off the suspect. He couldn't afford to. One wrong glance and he'd lose sight of her-

That was exactly his luck.

He was abruptly stopped by a car as it screeched to a halt a little too late, the front bumper hitting him hard with a heavy chunk and knocking the Fox down onto the tarmac. Nick recovered slowly with a cringe of pain, quickly glancing up to the direction the Coyote fled; just in time to glance her recognisable black and brown tail turning down an alleyway the opposite side of the road.

"Carrots, I lost sight of her…" Nick groaned into his radio, "She went down the alley! Heading north,"

" _Don't worry… I've got her…_ "

* * *

Madelyn ran down the alley with a conceited smile across her muzzle, thinking she had successfully eluded the two Police Officers. In fact, she had...

But only one of them.

Her smile was smacked from her face when she was suddenly knocked to the ground sideways by a small grey ball of fur that had erupted from a side door. Madelyn hit the ground hard from the attack, dropping her pistol. After a brief moment to compose herself, she looked up to her attacker, making a feral growl…

Judy stood firmly, quickly grabbing and extending her collapsible nightstick from her hip. Madelyn made a grab for her dropped gun; Judy quickly kicked it away, and a swing of her nightstick whacked right into the side of canine's jaw.

But Madelyn was tough, she grabbed Judy by the leg, digging her claws in as she yanked the Rabbit down to the ground.

Judy gasped from the sudden incisions, but it only made her more determined. In the scuffle on the floor, the Coyote climbed over the Bunny, pulling out a knife from her hidden ankle sheath. Judy swiftly double kicked Madelyn in the chest with her powerful legs, sending her staggering backwards.

Both combatants rose from the floor.

Madelyn growled as she reasserted herself in her stance, brandishing the knife menacingly… It hadn't been the first time she had used it to kill.

Judy took a defensive stance, resolute and immoveable, grasping her baton from the side handle, remembering her training. She'd taken down criminals larger _and_ tougher than this Coyote in front of her; she didn't falter for a second.

The Coyote attacked with a swing of the knife, Judy dodged it easily, the blade passing by like an annoying insect.

Another swing of the blade, another quick dodge.

Madelyn swung again, but as Judy dodged this time, she brought her baton hard against the canine's side,

Madelyn's short cringe was enough to betray her.

Like a flash of lightning, Judy rolled to her left, instantly striking the back of the Coyote's knee, and again on her upper leg, putting her off-balance. Judy stepped backwards, and with all her strength, and an un-Bunny-like roar, she made one final blow to Madelyn's chest, knocking the canine down to the ground again with seemingly no effort at all.

The Coyote made no move as she lay on her back on the concrete floor, just a mild groan of discomfort. It appeared that the Bunny had beaten her; a textbook takedown.

Judy smiled smugly as she towered over the fallen criminal…

But it soon faded.

As she was about radio in and cuff the canid, she didn't expect the swift kick to her face. With a gasp, Judy was knocked backwards, sending her tumbling hard against several dustbins with a loud clatter.

In a mere second, the Bunny was now the one on the floor.

Judy was disoriented, making a mild groan of discomfort. There was a hard pain on her back and the back of her head from where she had fallen into the dustbins, and a sharp pain from her nose… blood started dripping from her nostrils.

In the brief respite, Madelyn made another dive for her gun, finding it a mere two metres away and quickly grasped the handle… and the trigger.

Despite her injury, Judy recovered quickly and shot up from the ground.

But she wasn't quick enough this time…

The gun was pulled on her as she got back up. Judy heard the loud pop from the weapon, and suddenly… nothing. Only a high pitched ringing in her ears… and a new pain.

A sharp pain.

An indescribable pain.

Judy made no noise as the pain engulfed her body…

* * *

It was just then, at that moment, when Nick came round the corner of the alley entrance to watch his partner fall lifelessly to the ground.

" _JUDY!_ "

He didn't hesitate this time…

With a savage growl, Nick swiftly raised his gun and fired. The resulting explosively propelled 9mm metal slug flew supersonically down the alley to graze the Coyote's shoulder; a small spat of blood erupting from the wound.

Madelyn staggered backward as the bullet hit her, making a scream of agony. She hastily stood up with a snarl, throwing her gun at the Fox in a vain effort to stall him as he was running towards the scene of the fight. She proceeded to continue her escape, running away from the approaching Fox and clutching the gunshot wound on her shoulder.

Nick continued to run nervously down the alley. It seemed like it became longer and longer the faster he ran… only making him more terrified at what he might find when he reached her;

"Judy!" Nick stuttered, "Judy!"

He reached the side of his fallen partner…

The wave of relief was overwhelming when Nick realised Judy was alive; she was silently rocking herself side to side with short heavy breaths; her face scrunched up and watering eyes closed as she clasped hard to a large patch of blood on her right leg. Luckily, the bullet had only hit her in the thigh which had knocked her down. What was even luckier was that only one bullet had fired; the Coyote's machine pistol had jammed after the first round, which explained why the gun had been thrown at him.

Nick was about to tend to his friend's wound, but before he could even muster a word, let alone make any movement, Judy spoke to him:

"Nick, I'm fine! …" she lied, wincing from the pain as she applied pressure to her wound, "… Don't worry about me! … Don't let her get away!"

Nick wasn't going to leave her… he couldn't, immediately disregarding what she had just said. But as he leant down to attend to her injury, Judy practically kicked him away (with her good leg), shouting:

"GO!"

As reluctant as he was, Nick listened this time.

Judy was right… if Madelyn escaped, it would blow the whole operation.

Nick stood firm, leaving Judy bleeding in the alley and continued after the suspect, meanwhile she reached for her radio to call in her injury…

* * *

Madelyn hadn't gotten far, Nick was already in clear sight of her after he reached the central junction of the backstreet. It widened out as it reached its end at the edge of another main road; a road he was determined to not let that Coyote cross…

Nick raised his weapon, steadily in two paws… aiming clearly down the precision iron-sights at the back of the fleeing Coyote, an expression of pure hatred on his face.

This mammal had shot his partner; the one mammal that believed in him, the one that meant most to him... The one mammal that had inspired him to become more than what he was when he first met her… more than just a con-artist, more than just a stereotype…

' _An eye for an eye'_ as the old expression said. Or in this case:

A bullet in the leg… for a bullet in the leg…

The Fox fired.

The Coyote collapsed.

Nick lowered his gun, the barrel still smoking. He almost smirked when he heard a loud groan and multiple expels of profanity from the injured canine. He grasped his radio, and spoke sternly;

"All units… Suspect down."

Nick breathed a huff of relief now… holstering his sidearm and grasping a pair of paw-cuffs as he went over to arrest the Coyote.

This ordeal was over, but he knew deep down, this was just the start of the bloodshed.

Today had _only_ just begun…


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just a quick thanks to you all who have read so far, and those who have favorited/followed and reviewed (they are greatly appreciated), even though it hasn't been much to read just yet :) I plan to update this story every week or every fortnight depending on how writing the rest of it goes. So now, without further ado, here's the next chapter…**

* * *

Chapter 2

 _ **'Kit Up'**_

* * *

"FU*K YOU!" the Coyote screamed behind her muzzle, trashing around in her cuffs as Mchorn and Fangmeyer took her to one of the ZPD's prison vans, Chief Bogo alongside them, and Nick in tow.

"May I remind you Mrs Fyodorov that you _do_ have the right to remain silent," The Chief talked down to the canine.

"YOU THINK YOU FASCISTS CAN SILENCE ME!? MY HUSBAND WILL HAVE YOUR HIDES FOR THIS!" Madelyn continued to scream and struggle as Mchorn pushed her into the van.

"Yea, yea, keep telling yourself that love," Fangmeyer mocked as he slammed the van door shut, leaving the other canid to spool in her anger.

A fleeting moment of (almost) silence passed as they could hear the Coyote continue to scream and growl in protest from the inside of the prison van… If they didn't know any better, they would have thought she'd turned savage. She hadn't stopped protesting since Nick had arrested her, not even when she was (rather kindly) given medical treatment for her gunshot wounds.

"Mchorn, Fangmeyer, gear up…" Bogo ordered the two Officers, who nodded in reply and departed to get in their full SWAT gear.

The Buffalo then turned to the Fox behind him; "Wilde, good work," he praised, "Take a break…"

"Sir, where is Judy?" Nick asked without missing a beat, somehow managing to hide his worry.

"First one," Bogo said as he pointed to one of the small convoy of ambulances that were present.

Nick didn't waste any time; he immediately rushed over to the ambulance as Bogo walked off, cutting across the closed road and mass of Police Officers. Quickly rounding to the back of the first van, he then saw his partner sitting up on the stretcher, her ears drooped backwards. She was leaning forward, holding a small blood covered tissue to her nose, and a partially blood soaked bandage wrapped around her right thigh. Nick's rather abrupt appearance alerted the injured Bunny;

"Hey…" Judy greeted him innocently, her ears lifting.

Nick's didn't… his ears were still folded back in apprehension. He swiftly climbed into the ambulance without a word and embraced her, slightly to Judy's surprise at his sudden physical affection.

"You dumb, dumb, dumb _dumb_ bunny!" Nick mumbled into her ear.

"Nick, relax… I'm fine-"

"You had me so worried there when I saw you fall… I… I thought you were dead…"

"Thought I was too… it did hurt quite a bit," Judy attempted a joke with a small snigger, trying to laugh off the situation like Nick usually would.

She immediately realised that it wasn't funny… Nick only embraced her harder.

He was a tormented soul at the moment, the only comfort knowing that the Bunny he was hugging _was_ ok. But to Nick, it felt like it was his fault. Judy had been shot because he wasn't there to help her;

"I let you down, Carrots…" he murmured, "It's my fault you got shot-"

"No Nick, it isn't… you did your job…" she moved so she could speak directly to his face and reassure him, "… Plus there's nothing to worry about, the Doctor said it's just a flesh wound… I'll be right as rain in a couple of weeks,"

"It could have been more… or never…"

"Nick, stop worrying about ' _what if_ ', and worry about ' _what is_ '…" Judy reassured, "…believe me, I'm fine,"

Nick didn't know what it was about her comforting face, or soothing voice… Judy always found a way to calm his nerve. He huffed lightly, looking down at his feet, and after a long pause he spoke;

"You're right-"

"Wait, let me grab my carrot pen… I wanna get that on recording," the Bunny joked.

That one _did_ make the Fox chuckle;

"I don't think you need the pen for that Carrots…" He said, looking to her, "you're usually right… most of the time…"

Judy's eyes widened as she gasped in surprise; "Now you _have_ to let me record you…" she immediately had her trusty carrot pen in her paw and was putting it up to Nick's mouth; "Come on, one more time… go on say it!"

"Nope…" Nick smiled as he pushed the pen down, "missed you're chance…"

"Sly Fox," Judy grinned.

"Dumb Bunny," Nick replied. There was another long pause between them, as he gazed intently at her, "I'm glad you're ok…"

"Well at least that makes two of us…" Judy smiled, "… though I am a little miffed I'm gonna miss all the action…"

"Same… I guess…"

"Wait… what?" Judy tilted her head slightly, "You're not going with the team still?"

"Carrots… you know procedure," Nick reminded her, "You're down so that means I am too… I'm not going in,"

"No Nick. They need you for this…" Judy implored, "… I know you don't like talking about your childhood in that place, but you know those streets better than anyone…"

Nick looked away and spoke cynically; "You really think Buffalo-Butt's gonna listen?"

"He has to…" Judy pulled Nick's muzzle to face her, making his shining emerald eyes meet her pearlescent amethysts.

That was enough to give him the confidence he needed. But Nick saw something else in those beautiful eyes of hers:

Worry.

Now Judy embraced him, locking her arms around his neck like a furry grey vice. Even through her clothing and his own, Nick could feel her reassuring warmth… A hug from that Bunny could melt an entire jumbo-pop in an instant. Nick happily returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around her back and waist.

"… Just… promise me you'll come back in one piece," the Bunny spoke into the Fox's chest, muffling her voice, the concern very clear in her manner.

"It's more the chance of holes getting put in me I'm worried about," Nick joked.

"Well I wouldn't recommend it… it ruddy well hurts," Judy chuckled, still retaining her concern, "Just stay safe, please…"

Nick let go at that moment as Judy loosened her grasp, and they both returned to making eye contact with each other as Nick placed a calming paw on her shoulder.

"I promise I will be safe Carrots… and I promise I will come back," he said with his reassuring sideways smile.

Nick turned away and began to walk out the ambulance, but before he left, he twisted back to face his injured partner, with a flourish of his tail and his usual carefree attitude;

"… Have some faith though," he picked up his tone, "Remember… self-preservation was one of my fortes as con-artist,"

And then he left with a sly smile whilst making a sly wink, but not before he heard Judy shout back:

"Nick wait!"

He returned, popping his head round the ambulance door.

"You might need this…" Judy continued, holding out her carrot pen, "Just in-case the bad guy starts monologuing again,"

To anyone else, it was a simple gesture of giving a pen to another. For Nick and Judy… it was a symbol of complete trust: it was _that_ pen after all, and its unique dictaphone feature that had brought the two of them together in the first place…

Nick climbed into the ambulance again and lovingly took the pen, after which… Judy took the opportunity to lean over, and place a quick peck on his cheek.

"Good Luck," she whispered.

Nick was quite glad his fur covered his blushing.

"Thanks Carrots," he replied sincerely; "… gotta go…"

And this time Nick left, both of them hoping it wasn't the last time they'd see each other… and both of them cursing themselves that they hadn't told the other:

Those three simple words…

* * *

Nick went onwards… making his way through the fleet of assorted vehicles that had been parked as part of the ZPD's Confinement Zone. Among them were ambulances, patrol cars, riot control vans, prison vans, mobile armouries, and possibly the most advanced of the ZPD's fleet of vehicles; the SWAT armoured personnel carrier, alongside the most _underused_ vehicle in the ZPD's fleet; the SWAT Mobile Command Centre.

His destination.

As Nick climbed the ramp and entered the high-tech, gargantuan vehicle he saw Chief Bogo was inside, conversing with a Lion, who was Sergeant Grizzoli, already kitted out in his full SWAT gear (minus the weapons), and an aged wildebeest, who was Captain Mendoza; the SWAT Team Commander.

Bogo was already in mid-sentence:

"-Fyodorov has made his headquarters in the abandoned construction site of the Happytown Leisure Centre… adjacent to the Church," he paused as he pointed to the map, "We've set up a confinement zone at a ten block radius away from the site, including marking the sewers and other underground tunnels…"

"So that's roughly… four square miles…" Grizzoli commented, "That's _a lot_ of ground to cover…"

Mendoza then took over; "We're aware… but that was in the effort to ensure all of Fyodorov's private army and his operation would be confined in the zone," Mendoza turned back to the map, "This area is still largely abandoned after the sterilisation seventeen years ago. We have tactical teams approaching from the North, East, South and West, with backup on standby… there's _no way_ Fyodorov can escape…"

"Does he have hostages?" Grizzoli asked.

Bogo responded this time; "Wolford was unable to confirm… plus… he's gone quiet," if he could have sounded more serious than he naturally was, that moment was it: clear concern for the safety of his undercover officer.

"You think he's in trouble?"

"Possibly… find him if you can, but your main job is to arrest Fyodorov… kill him if necessary," Bogo paused as he leaned up from the table, "Same goes for anyone who shoots at you… I'm not taking any chances, and I don't want any of _you_ taking chances also… Shoot to wound if you can, but shoot to kill, if necessary… and I have a feeling it's going to be necessary,"

Grizzoli nodded slowly; he knew Bogo had not said that statement lightly. Even before the Police was under Bogo's command the ZPD often prided itself on its use of non-lethality on even the most dangerous criminals… the rare times where live and lethal firearms were used usually were necessary to quell a threat to the city and its citizens, usually by the SWAT Team, or the occasional firearms officer.

The briefing continued;

Mendoza spoke next; "Grizzoli, your team is Team 1, with your usual lot, approaching from the South… I'll be leading Team 2, from the North, Team 3 will come from the West, Team 4 from the East with Sierra 9-1 as aerial sniper support. The intention is to entrap them in the centre blocks… and that's- we assume… when most of the lead will start flying-"

Without a good moment passing that would result in a rude interruption, Nick had no choice but to pipe up… not that he had much of an issue with that.

"Sir," The Fox spoke.

All three mammals turned to face him. Bogo spoke first;

"Wilde… what are you doing here?"

Nick wouldn't deny, he was a little confused; "It was on my understanding we still had a job to do? … You haven't given me an order yet,"

"Wilde, your partner is down and out, that means _you_ are down and out… and I did give you an order… I ordered you to take a break…"

"And my break time is over, I'm here to do a job sir…" Nick spoke confidently, "Let me go in too…"

"Out of the question,"

"Chief!"

"NO! You and Hopps have done your part, and she's already been put in hospital, and I can't afford both of you out of action-"

Nick had expected such a response from the Buffalo, so he appealed, mixing in a bit of dark humour to break it casually;

"Sir please… Just listen to me… you all go in there and the chances of most of you coming out in body bags is a high one… and I'm no good at giving eulogies…"

"What are you getting at Wilde?" Bogo asked the Fox impatiently.

"I know these streets; I grew up on them…" Nick explained, "I know every intersection, every corner, every back alley, every building and every shortcut! … You willing to think Fyodorov's mammals won't be waiting around every corner with a loaded gun- plus he's an arms-dealer… you also willing to think he also doesn't have a full armoury in there?"

"He's got a point Sir… With some of the stuff we've recovered from their other operations, it's reasonable to assume they'll be packing more than machine pistols…" Grizzoli commented, then continued light-heartedly, "Plus I'd rather not end up in a body-bag… Not less Wilde giving my eulogy,"

"Chief if I may?" Captain Mendoza spoke quietly to the Buffalo.

"Go on,"

"I'm willing to trust the Fox… it's not often you have someone with such inside knowledge of the ' _battlefield_ ', as it were… his familiarity of the surroundings should be taken advantage of,"

Bogo huffed… but he was convinced enough. He turned back to look at Nick;

"Wilde, you're aware of the risks and duties involved here?"

"Yes sir,"

Bogo raised his arm, pointing at Nick with a thick and threatening outstretched hoof, and spoke even more sternly than usual.

"I'm putting _a lot_ of trust in you…"

"I am aware…"

Bogo didn't look impressed.

"Come on… Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me? …" Nick asked with a genuine innocent smile… only to a room full of blank faces; "… Ok… don't answer that,"

Bogo turned away, lowering his arm as he did so, and nodded to Grizzoli, who then turned back to looking at Nick;

"Wilde, kit up," he ordered.

"Pun intended?"

The Lion was confused; "I'm sorry, what pun?"

"That… a ' _kit_ ' is a young fox? - doesn't matter…" Nick turned, swiftly leaving the vehicle.

"Report to the blockade with the others once you're ready!" Bogo shouted after him.

Nick turned on the spot and saluted with a loud and partially sarcastic;

"Yes Sir! And thank you sir!"

* * *

Once the Fox was clear from view and clear from earshot, Grizzoli turned to Bogo and asked;

"Do you not think he's ready sir?"

"I wouldn't have approved him for SWAT if I didn't think he was ready…"Bogo replied, without looking up, "… plus he's a damn good shot, and you need the extra gun…"

"Then why so reluctant to allow him with us?"

"Because that Fox is only half of the package…" now he leaned up from the table to look at the Lion; "He and Hopps are inseparable, and work so well with each other in the toughest of situations that I'm just the _slightest_ bit concerned how Officer Wilde will cope without her alongside him,"

"Sir, if I may say… I think that's a little unfair…" Grizzoli challenged, "Both Nick and Judy have proved they are capable of handling tough situations on their own-"

"Yes… But this is no ordinary situation is it?"

Grizzoli didn't respond, but instead looked away with a disgruntled expression.

"He's a rookie Grizzoli… but he's a good cop," Bogo stated, "Keep an eye on him,"

"Will do sir,"

* * *

Dashing through the fleet of parked vehicles again, Nick made his way to the mobile armoury truck, easily finding it due to the other armed Police that were guarding it.

After presenting his badge and identity to the two officers at the entrance, Nick entered the truck and was actually surprised to see his gear was already laid out; specially made for him due to his smaller size.

Tossing his lightweight ballistic vest aside, he began cladding himself with a heavy duty ballistic vest, ballistic helmet (that was _partially_ too big), knee and elbow pads and some fingerless cut resistant paw gloves. Of the selection of weapons available, he decided to arm himself with an MP5 submachine gun, considering his smaller stature meant the weapon was the size of a large rifle to him. He then grabbed several spare magazines and a single fragmentation grenade, placing them into pouches on his waist and chest, but he still kept his trusty G17 handgun in his hip holster, along with extra ammunition.

He couldn't afford to carry much else, his gear was already quite heavy for him as the weighty ballistic helmet slid around on his head, forcing him to fold his ears back in an uncomfortable position… that was going to get annoying quick… but at least it would do its job of protecting his head… maybe.

Nick made a move to leave and join his squad, but before he did he looked back into the depths of the armoured truck, noticing the one set of gear still in there that was even smaller than his…

It was Judy's. Specially made for her.

In that single moment Nick had a flurry of emotions envelop him.

Confusion first… if it was hard enough for him to carry all this stuff, how could she? Let alone find a weapon suited to her even-smaller-frame than his. He lightly chuckled at the thought of Judy wearing oversized SWAT gear and trying to lift one of the larger firearms… not that _he_ could either.

He then felt fear. He suddenly realised, Judy wouldn't be by his side for this. Judy had been by his side ever since he graduated from the academy three years ago… since then they had done everything on the force together- including their SWAT training, and been one of the most effective teams the ZPD has ever seen…

But it was also a relief… Judy _wouldn't_ be with him, and that was good because she wouldn't be in danger. And that's what scared him most; the possibility of losing her. He did have the brief scare earlier when he thought he had, and it nearly killed him. But then he felt guilt… of what Judy might be going through right now… knowing that he was running into the lion's den…

Or Panther's stronghold, as it were.

And the sudden realisation that he may not be coming back from it…

That was an occupational hazard of course… Nick had been in shootouts before, with Judy beside him. Every. Time. But those were usually against one or two mammals with his trusty semi-automatic sidearm that ended as soon as it had begun because (as he'd found out in the academy) he was dead-eye, and Judy too, was a damn good shot with her tranquilizer pistol…

But this was totally different… Even if the rest of his squad were SWAT veterans and been in these situations several times before: live gunfire, shootouts, and the chance of instant and painful death at every turn… this was Nick's first experience… and he had put a lot of responsibility (and a heavy bowl of Kevlar) on his head… claiming to know the area inside the ZPD's Confinement Zone.

And he _did_ know it… and Judy _knew_ he could do this… _he_ knew he could do this. He wouldn't have been allowed on the SWAT Team if the Chief didn't think he could.

Nick looked up, finding himself staring at his own reflection in one of the small mirrors in the back of the truck. He barely recognised himself; he looked more like a soldier than a police officer… clad in black and blue clothing and tactical gear with the word:

 _POLICE_

Inscribed on his chest, and:

 _ZPD_

 _SWAT_

On his back, all in prominent white letters.

He was almost mesmerised in that moment at how much his life had changed, and Nick wouldn't lie to himself…

He liked the look.

And he had _her_ to thank for it… for giving him the courage and the inspiration. Nick just hoped he would get to see her again.

He would though.

He promised her…

In that moment, Nick found his fortitude, forcing a determined expression on his face as he turned away from the mirror and left the SWAT van to join his squad, and unknowingly… his first foray into _real_ combat…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _ **'Ultimatum'**_

* * *

They were all there; SWAT Team 1, lined up outside the moveable barricades and mobile guard towers that blocked the road into the Confinement Zone of Happytown, all of them kitted up in full tactical gear, weapons and accessories:

Sergeant Leonard Grizzoli – Lion. Team Leader.

He was at the front, leaning against the access through the quickly erected wall of the Confinement Zone peering through the gap, anxious to get started like he'd done so many times before, and made sure his whole team came back. He held an M16A4 assault rifle and a holstered M1911, as well as a fair amount of ammunition alongside a mix of frag, flashbangs and smoke grenades. It also looked like he had shaved his mane slightly, so as to fit it underneath his helmet and other gear.

Officer Richard Mchorn – Rhino. Mobile Cover, Heavy Fire Support and Suppression.

He looked _almost_ like a walking tank; his armour was thick and undoubtedly heavy, and he carried a beast of a weapon; an M240 machine gun, which still needed to be modified for his large frame and fingers… the weapon was practically the same size as Nick, if not bigger. The Rhino also clutched a SWAT mobile cover; essentially, a ballistic shield that was so heavy and so big, only the largest and strongest mammals of the ZPD could hold it, while smaller mammals could also take cover behind; hence: Mobile Cover. Mchorn felt invincible in his gear; he would always brag the fact he could count the amount of times he'd been shot and not felt a thing due to his heavy body armour and naturally thick skin.

Officer Sebastian Delgato – Tiger. Riflemammal.

The only one of them not wearing a helmet… because he claimed it got in the way of his shooting... and his ear phones; the Tiger was currently bobbing his head up and down with his eyes closed. Delgato was the marksmammal of the squad, wielding a scoped M14 EBR for long range encounters, and a holstered MP7 submachine gun for when things got a bit too close. He didn't look particularly fazed by the situation. With the exception of Grizzoli, Delgato had been on the SWAT team the longest out of all of them.

Officer Jonathan Fangmeyer – Arctic Wolf. Pointmammal.

Fangmeyer was the original rookie… a long time ago. Now he was one of the SWAT's best, being pointmammal of his squad he would always go in first, and was especially skilled in paw-to-paw combat. It didn't mean he was made of stone. Right now he was slouching against the blockade wall, chewing on a piece of gum to hide his anxiety. The White Wolf wielded an M4 carbine, but he was easily prepared for his role in close-quarters… with a sheathed M1014 semi-automatic shotgun on his back, with many extra shells in a bandolier. It also appeared that in the brief time to get ready he had decorated his fur with a less-than-elegant urban camo pattern using washable fur-dye, considering his all white fur made him stick out like a sore paw (unless they were in Tundratown of course).

Officer Nicholas P Wilde – Red Fox. Rookie.

At the back, almost unnoticeable within the group of much larger mammals; clutching his MP5 submachine gun firmly in his paws, keeping it close to his chest, the short stock pressed into his shoulder.

Nick's face was as straight as it could be, staring at nothing as he waited within the group. Even now he still kept his private mantra of ' _Never let them see that they get to you_ ' and he was so far succeeding. Though he wished he could have told the rest of his body; he had harshly fluttering butterflies in his stomach as the wait seemed to go on forever and his heart was beating so fast he was sure the others could hear it slamming into his thick Kevlar vest… or even vibrating through the floor-

"Gum?"

"Huh?" Nick was confused, just being broken from his stare.

He turned to see Fangmeyer offering him a stick of fruit chewing gum from its half empty pack in his paw.

"Errr… No thanks…" Nick politely declined.

"You sure? … I've always found that a fruity taste in your mouth is good in these situations… calms the heart you know?"

That's when Nick realised. Yea… Fangmeyer could hear his accelerated heartbeat; could only mean the others did too. Nick took a deep breath.

"Ok… got a blueberry flavour?"

Fangmeyer chuckled, "Heh, that's lucky… it's the only flavour I don't like,"

Nick would have protested, why Fangmeyer couldn't love such a nice flavoured fruit? ... It… it … it wasn't right!-

But instead he just accepted the packet and thanked him;

"Cheers Fang," Nick said as he took the gum and proceeded to unwrap it.

"Seen as you're offering, how's about you throw a stripe our way?" Mchorn proposed.

"Rick, I'm not giving one…" Fang retorted lightly, "… you chew gum by the packet…"

"What's wrong with that?"

"I mean the _whole_ packet… at once,"

"That doesn't mean much coming from you Fang…" Delgato interjected heartily, "… that's your second pack of gum today… do we need to have an intervention?-"

"How the heck can _you_ even hear us talking?" Fang interrupted, referring to the fact the Tiger could still hear them, even with ear phones in.

"I have very good hearing remember… just like how I can still hear Wilde's heart goin a mile a minute," Delgato chortled, and felt the need to reassure the Fox after seeing the unamused frown on his muzzle; "Don't worry Nick… we've all been there before,"

"What song you listening to anyway?" Fang asked.

"Seven Nation Army…" Delgato replied.

"Arr… give us an ear piece, I love that song!"

"Can't… it just finished…"

The Wolf scowled at him.

"… Though I got Highway to Hell playing next… I thought it would be fitting," Delgato joked.

"You know… you guys are filling me with _so much_ confidence right now…" Nick piped up, sarcastically.

"Relax rookie…" Mchorn sniggered, "We've done this hundreds of times before… just stick with us and you'll do fine…"

Nick knew that Mchorn was obviously exaggerating when he said 'hundreds', though the rest of them had definitely seen their fair share of action. The group's clear confidence and light-hearted attitude to the current and upcoming situation did calm Nick's nerve… but only slightly. As the rest of them continued to converse, Nick looked over at Grizzoli, noticing the Lion was still peering through the gap, trying to take in as much tactical information from what he could see of the area before moving out. He then saw the Lion look down at his watch… Nick unintentional dittoed, glancing at his own timepiece: digital, so it was quicker and easier to read in a rush…

 _8:58_

They were due to start at 9:00, so at that moment Grizzoli turned to the squad;

"Time to kill it guys," he ordered, cutting into the team's conversation, "Unless you're gonna put it on speaker Seb?" He smiled.

"Naaa you're alright…" Delgato returned the smile, taking out his ear phones, and placing them in one of his pouches.

"We good to go?" Mchorn asked.

"Just waiting for the call…"

At that moment, as if he somehow knew it was his cue, Chief Bogo's voice blurred over Grizzoli's radio;

" _All teams check in…"_

"Team 1, in position, Checkpoint Alpha," the Lion replied.

A long pause transpired as Zootopia felt like it had become frozen in time, as the rest of the teams checked in with the Chief. The five mammal SWAT team all took the chance to check their weapons, unlatching the safety, ready for their incursion. The scene was unnaturally quiet, with the exception of the spinning blades of the hovering police helicopter high above them.

Nick glanced at his watch once more:

 _8:59_

And after a moment;

 _9:00_

And then Chief Bogo's voice echoed from a loud speaker system… like his voice needed to get any louder…

" _ROAN FYODOROV… YOU ARE UNDER ARREST,"_ the loudspeaker boomed, reverberating almost deafeningly across the Confinement Zone from every single checkpoint; _"WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED. I ORDER YOU AND YOUR MAMMALS TO LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER. COME QUIETLY AND YOU WILL ALL NOT BE HARMED. OTHERWISE WE WILL USE LETHAL FORCE…"_

 _…_

Again… Only the light beating of the Police helicopter on the scene could be heard during another bout of silence. It went on for a couple of minutes, after which… it was clear Bogo had received no response; his voice broke through Grizzoli's radio again:

" _All teams… Move in,_ "

Grizzoli nodded to Fang. With that order, the White Wolf sprung to life… spitting out his gum behind him and raising his assault rifle. A quick burst of speed and Fang moved through the gap into the Confinement Zone, as Grizzoli covered him, his own rifle raised.

With his tail balancing him, Fang kept as low as possible to the ground, moving quickly to the closest cover he could see; an abandoned parked car. Reaching the stranded automobile with haste, he crouched low behind it and peered down the street using the telescopic ACOG sight of his M4 carbine.

The road was quiet and eerie- a ghost town. It was almost unbelievable how derelict the view in-front of him was. The roadway was littered with potholes, broken bricks, abandoned parked cars and even crashed cars, just left by their owners. All the buildings were old, exposed brick and mortar… some were practically crumbling… others overgrown with foliage or covered in graffiti. By the looks of it, it looked like one of the buildings had actually collapsed into the road further up. The street went uphill. Not very steep, but enough so that the perspective view up the road was stopped by the crest of the hill in the distance, whereby the church and its towering bell tower could be seen, adjacent to it; the abandoned construction site of the Happytown Leisure Centre.

Fang did notice, as was his job; there was no sign of anyone;

"Clear,"

The rest of the squad then entered the arena.

Grizzoli first, moving over to join Fang in cover behind the car. Mchorn came next, clutching the mobile cover in-front of him, where Nick and Delgato were also shielding behind.

After scanning the road himself, Grizzoli was eager to get moving;

"Alright… Move up, cover to cover… guns up," he ordered.

Mchorn took position with the mobile cover in the middle of the road, his machinegun rested on the side gun-shelf of the portable wall, so as to be able to fire it single handed from behind the shield. He moved slowly forward at the head of the group while Delgato remained near the back, consistently checking down the 12x scope of his rifle every time he reached a new cover.

Nick stayed close to the others, trying to remember his training and simultaneously still trying to stifle his nerves. He remembered this road… in his teens he used to perform the shell game for easy money along the pavement to anyone willing to test his sleight of paw. Right now, Nick mostly stuck to that same pavement… given the present situation, it seemed weirdly homely… plus he hated the road. Nick lost count in his childhood how many times he'd almost been run over crossing that death-trap.

Of course, now the road was a different kind of death-trap… how ironic… and that made the Fox make his trademark sideways smile to himself.

The squad continued moving forward, slowly from cover to cover, checking the road ahead, the intersections and the many side alleys. Block by block, road after road, they advanced. After passing the third intersection, the sound of repeated faraway popping filled the air.

Gunfire.

Distant gunfire.

It appeared one of the other teams had made contact, but for them… nothing. Signalling the others to hold position for the moment, Grizzoli grabbed his radio;

"Team 1 to Checkpoint… We're four blocks in… No contact… confirmed we can hear distant gunfire…"

…

* * *

"Roger that Team 1," Bogo responded.

Back in the Mobile Command Centre the first few minutes had been excruciatingly quiet until now. Teams 2 and 3 had just reported in saying they were engaging hostiles so the quiet news from Team 1 was actually a relief. Everything seemed to be going well so far...

But Team 4 had yet to report. That was a worrying sign.

"Team 4, Report?" Bogo contacted them.

There was no response.

"Team 4… Report!"

This time there was a response: static.

Only static blurred through the radio… it went on for a long while until eventually a voice could be heard:

" _THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!_ "

"Team 4, repeat!"

" _Taking heavy fire from all sides! We'r-_ "

More static.

" _Fall back! Fall back!"_

More static.

" _Officer down! Repe-"_ More static, _"-ficer down! AH-_ "

The radio went dead.

"Sierra Nine-One," Bogo yelled into his radio, contacting the police helicopter on the scene, "Do you have visual on Team 4!?"

The response was immediate:

" _Negative… we'll displace and_ -" there was a pause, as an alarm sound suddenly blurred down the radio of the helicopter… "… _What the fu*k is that!?_ "

A very distinctive sound filled the air; a loud echoing hiss in the distance, followed by a faint roar, grabbing the attention of most mammals that could hear it. Bogo stormed out of the MCC trying to find the source of the noise. Looking into the depths of the Confinement Zone, he and every bystander witnessed the eruption of a vapour trail from the top of the church tower, at its front: a surface-to-air missile.

The police helicopter had _no_ chance.

All the officers present watched in horror as the missile slammed into the rear of their comrade's aircraft, detonating its warhead and immediately causing the helicopter to burst into flames with a loud, deafening boom. Like a dropped stone, the burning wreckage fell out of the sky finding its resting place in the streets of Happytown, with a sharp crash and echoing thud that resonated through the earth.

"All teams hold position!" Bogo yelled down his radio.

"Sir!" A pig technician ran from the MCC, quickly grabbing the Buffalo's attention; she spoke nervously, "…radio… It's Fyodorov… for you…"

Bogo grabbed the other radio, placing the one he was previously holding in his top pocket. He spoke slowly; "This is Bogo,"

The voice on the other end was deep and threatening, and the perfect tone for the psychopath Panther on the other end;

" _Ah! Chief! Good morning to you on this most pleasant of days; brilliant weather don't you think? … Now, I think we may have started this little episode on a bit of a negative note… because- as you can probably see Chief, if you intend for your soldiers in blue to use lethal force to subdue me and my mammals, we are perfectly capable of returning it tenfold… I therefore implore you to cease your operation, and release my wife… or you can start counting the amount of Officers families you will have to explain to why their dearest relative died a meaningless death…"_ There was a long pause, until the Panther continued cruelly; _"… I believe the current count is approximately fifteen?"_

"Fyodorov, this day ends in only one outcome: your demise… one way, or another," Bogo threatened, "How long do you really think you can last? We have you surrounded, and you have no escape-"

He was interrupted from a sadistic laugh from the Panther the other end of radio;

" _Hahahhaha! … Did you not think I knew this day would come!?_ _Came sooner than expected I'll admit… but I've been planning it from the beginning... No Chief, I'm the one with the bigger stick here… So the question you should be asking- asking yourself: How many more Officers are you prepared to lose?"_ There was an even longer and eerier pause, _"Or would you like to explain to Detective Wolford here why he won't get to see his wife again?"_

Bogo's eyes widened, when suddenly, the winded voice of his undercover Officer; Detective Michael Wolford came through the radio;

" _Chief… pardon my language… but I would really appreciate it if you could kill this fu*ker sometime soon…"_

It also sounded as if he'd just been punched after that comment; but then Fyodorov's voice returned;

" _I must say he had me fooled for a while…"_ he actually sounded impressed.

"There doesn't need to be any more bloodshed today Fyodorov," Bogo negotiated, "… as long as you come quietly…"

" _I think I've already demonstrated that that isn't happening…"_

"We will bring you in today, and you will face justice for your crimes against the city,"

" _Well then… it seems we're at an impasse…"_ Fyodorov genuinely sounded saddened, but that tone quickly changed, after another long eerie pause…

" _You know… I always admired the ancient methods of, execution… burned at the stake… hung, drawn and quartered- my, my, that one is nasty… but… crucifixion was indeed my favourite… It was so simple, yet excruciatingly effective... and always sent a strong message… It's certainly a shame then that-"_ he suddenly raised his voice as it echoed, " _\- EVEN IN THIS OLD CHURCH! There isn't a single cross that's big enough to practice it! … And unfortunately, I'm much too busy to make one… so I'll have to make do with this…"_

If Bogo could show fear or concern, that moment was it; when the sound of an unsheathed knife came down the radio…

 _"You know what it is chief? It's a knife…_ _a nifty little folding karambit_ _I've had since I was twelve years old. Madelyn gave it to me… stole it from her elder step-brother because she hated the living guts out of him. He found out of course, and beat her senselessly… so you know what I did? … I used this very knife to tear out, his no-longer-living guts…"_

Roan's voice turned very serious at that moment;

 _"That Coyote means a lot to me Chief… so then I hear earlier this morning some little red bast*rd in a blue uniform put a hole in her arm and leg… I was quite- … well… let's just say; I was angry,"_

Now the sound of the knife being sharpened came through the radio;

 _"That old phrase says an 'eye for an eye, leaves the whole world blind'… Incorrect! You see revenge is linked like a chain, and as we go down that chain- stabbing eyes- … everyone will still have one working… and, whoever is last in the chain will still have two working eyes… And I intend to be the last in that chain… But on my wife's behalf-"_

Bogo recoiled in shock, horror, and sheer anger that moment when the unmistakable sound of knife cutting into flesh and a Wolf screaming in agony erupted down the radio.

It then went quiet; until Roan Fyodorov's bloodcurdling voice returned;

"… _Don't worry Chief…_ " he actually sounded reassuring, " _Your Detective is still alive… simple easy stab wound to the leg and shoulder… no major arteries or veins, not too dangerous, easily treatable with medical care… but I don't intend to give him any medical care… and an injury such as that will not close on its own… SO YES! He's alive for now… But if you want him back before he loses all his blood, I suggest you hurry up… I reckon he's got approximately? … One hour? Before he bleeds out… after all he is a very strong and determined individual… but what the heck do I know!? … I'm not a doctor! … But I suggest you get here fast… he isn't looking too good…_ "

Negotiations were over.

" _Though… of course I'd be willing to exchange him for my wife if-"_

* * *

The radio cut off.

"Well… that's indeed a shame…" Roan muttered, then casually threw away the radio into the empty, rotted and half collapsed pews of the abandoned church. The sound of the small device landing on the cold stone floor echoed through the acoustic design of the gothic style structure.

In front of the suave Panther, tied to a chair placed in front of the crumbling alter was Michael Emmerson Wolford; the only police officer daring enough and (un)successful enough infiltrate Roan Fyodorov's organisation. He was currently holding his head down, with blood running from his left shoulder, staining his shirt and also from his upper right leg, staining his trousers.

Through heavy pants, the Grey Wolf looked up to speak mockingly to the Black Cat in front of him;

"If _that's_ your grand scheme to get out of this… then you don't know Bogo…"

Roan turned to face him; "I'd advise you to save your breath, _Wolf_ , lest you want to bleed out faster…"

"It's pronounced: _Wolford_ ," he sneered, "And fine… I'll take your advice and shut up," he leaned back in the chair with his head backwards, "It's the last good advice you'll ever give…"

"You _really_ think your colleagues will get here in time to save you?"

"They _will_ … they're the best…"

"You're deluded…"

"So are you… but our similarities don't stop there Roan…" Wolford pulled his head down to look at him, "… Because, both of our minutes are numbered…"

"We'll see about that…" Roan smiled menacingly.

The Panther turned to the three armed mammals now behind him; another wolf, a black bear and a hyena, speaking to them authoritatively;

"You three, remain here and watch him… if his wounds close, open them… if they stay open, leave them open… if he tries to escape, shoot him…" he turned to walk away down the centre aisle, his voice now raised; "Either way… I WANT TO SEE THIS STONE TURN _RED_!"

With a maniacal cackle, Roan continued down the centre aisle until he was in the narthex of the church, where two more armed mammals awaited him; his best two.

The Cheetah, Tatizo Duma, and the Red Wolf, Rosa Marconi.

"You both know what to do…" Roan began, "hold them off, until I finish my work…"

He looked to the Cheetah;

"Duma… Head upstairs, and prepare the Welcome Party…"

Then he looked to the Red Wolf;

"Marconi…" he began, pausing for the chance to smile cruelly, "Take your pack… and go hunting…"

Duma and Marconi both joined Roan in his cruel smile. He proceeded to leave, heading towards the mains doors of the Church to return to the Construction Site, but not before feeling the need to remind them both;

"And please. Enjoy yourselves."

…

* * *

The Cape Buffalo still stood there, silently seething in rage as the crushed remains of the radio in his balled up hoof fell to the floor.

"Have Team 4 fall back-" Bogo began.

"Sir, Checkpoint Delta confirmed Team 4 are KIA," another technician, a Serval, spoke to him worriedly; "Teams 2 and 3 are pinned by heavy gunfire and have casualties…" he made a long pause, "Only Team 1 is fully combat effective,"

Bogo huffed, louder than he wanted, but he kept his face straight;

"Order Teams 2 and 3 to fall back to a secure position, but keep the shooters occupied, send them backup,"

"Yes sir…"

Bogo now pulled his original radio from his top pocket, grabbing it agitatedly. He actually couldn't believe it… but it was now up to the team with the SWAT rookie on it, and that certain rookie's inside knowledge of the arena… a five mammal team! … He only hoped it would be enough; they were his best after all.

Chief Bogo brought the radio up to his mouth. Despite the situation, he still spoke with that degree of resilience that would never break:

"Team 1-" …


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _ **'The Welcome Party'**_

* * *

 _… "-move in and terminate all suspected hostiles with extreme prejudice. Fyodorov has made contact, and we traced his signal. Confirmed that Detective Wolford is compromised and being held hostage in the church, and wounded- Knife wound to the upper leg and shoulder. Unconfirmed, Fyodorov may be there too_ …"

"Copy that Chief,"

" _Team 4 is KIA, and the other two teams are pinned down with casualties and requesting backup… but they are keeping the majority of Fyodorov's mammals occupied the best they can… that means it's up to you_. _Get to Wolford first… Doctors have predicted his bleed out time is approximately 63 minutes considering his most recent records… but these are only estimates without knowing the degree of his injuries… he could be dead in a few hours or as low as 3 minutes… With that SAM site in operation there's no way to bring in air support… So for now… you're on your own. The main mission objective still stands; bring in Fyodorov alive; dead if you have to."_

"Roger that… we'll get it done… out," Grizzoli turned off his radio.

The squad had regrouped together in a small alcove at the back of an abandoned shop, where even the dumpsters had abandoned it. The alcove was bare, with only a few strands of rubbish. Only the stained grey concrete covered the floor, dullened by the shade of the building behind it.

"So what's the situation?" Mchorn asked.

"Team 4 is down, and the others aren't doin much better…" Grizzoli answered as he checked over his weapon.

"Crap…" Mchorn mumbled.

"And Michael's got a hole in his leg and shoulder and bleeding out…" the Lion continued.

"Sh*t…" Delgato said.

"And we've got no air support…"

"Fu*k," Fang muttered.

"Or backup… for now,"

"So it's down to us? That sounds about right-" Delgato jeered.

"We're heading to the church first-" Grizzoli began.

"What about the chopper?" Fang interrupted, "Shouldn't we find the crash site and check for survivors?"

"No, it's not our mission,"

"But-"

"Fang, I'm aware of your concern for her but I need you to stay focussed," Grizzoli ordered, "There's far more lives at stake if we fail,"

The Wolf huffed; "Alright Sarge…"

"We're heading for the church…" Grizzoli continued, "that's our new objective… but we should expect only light resistance… the other two teams have most of the attention,"

"Oh, fantastic…" Delgato sneered, "I _knew_ I shoulda taken the day off…"

Nick just stayed silent in this conversation… but he definitely shared the sentiments of the others. Huh, he could almost be mad at Judy for telling him confidently that he had to go on without her for this one…

Nick sighed quietly.

He missed her.

He would deny that to the death, but he did. But he was also very glad she wasn't here… and if he didn't mean that now, he would definitely mean it soon...

Delgato looked out from the alcove, still greeted by nothing but the run-down scenery before them all, illuminated by the morning sunshine…. Not a soul in sight.

He pulled his head back into the alcove; "It's too quiet… if all the other teams have contact, why not us?"

"I don't know… that's what worries me…" Grizzoli responded, "… we need to be cautious,"

"I also don't get, this place… how can this area be so run-down and deserted?" Mchorn questioned, "It's like a western ghost town in the middle of the biggest city in the world…"

"No, that's _exactly_ what it is…" Delgato sniggered.

Nick suddenly decided to pipe up; "You know that _small_ rabies outbreak about seventeen years ago?" they were all looking at him now, as Nick pointed downwards, "This was ground zero…"

"Then... What th- !" Fang had to stop himself exclaiming, so he toned his voice to a serious whisper; "Why the _FU*K_ aren't we in hazmat suits!?"

"The CDC quarantined the area and… _sterilised_ it…" Nick explained, "… after that no-one wanted to move back in, those that were still alive that is… hence the ghost town…"

"That didn't answer my question…"

"It's not like this place was much better even before that happened anyway," Nick continued, "I always thought they named the place ' _Happytown'_ as some kind of bad joke…"

"You seem know your stuff about this place Nick…" Delgato probed.

"That's because I used to live here…" he answered begrudgingly.

There was a moments silence as Fang, Mchorn and Delgato quickly looked between each other.

"Rough…" Fang commented sincerely.

"Uh-huh…" Nick muttered, obviously trying to avoid the subject, "Now don't we have a mission to do?"

"Well said," Grizzoli remarked; "We need to keep moving… remember, Wolford's counting on us… So eyes wide and ears up guys… And keep your tails close,"

One by one the group departed the alcove, carefully checking their surroundings. Another few minutes of silence passed as they moved another block forward, still going cover to cover with caution. Five blocks in, and still nothing… almost half of the mile they had to cover.

Each passing second of quiet just made Nick more relieved, and even _more_ nervous. It would happen to any mammal in their right mind, especially if they were wearing tactical gear, and knew they were facing heavily armed criminals hell bent on killing anyone in their way...

He'd seen this in the movies before… any time where the apparently _elite_ SWAT Team wandered into somewhere seemingly against little or no resistance, _never_ ended well…

The silence was now getting on Grizzoli's nerves; he ordered the squad to regroup again.

"Still no-contact…" The Lion muttered, "This silence is fu*kin killing me,"

"Could mean we're heading for an ambush? …" Delgato pondered.

"Possibly…"

All of a sudden, Nick remembered something. They were all thinking about this too logically… too _humanely_. They were animals; no matter how evolved, they had heightened senses…

"Wait… we're downwind here, right?" He asked to anyone.

"Yea…" Grizzoli spoke.

Nick turned to Fang; "Do you smell anything?"

Immediately recognising the idea, the Wolf raised his nose, taking in a few sniffs and immediately picking up several unrecognised odours.

"I smell a tiger that needs a wash… and a very nervous fox…"

The group looked between Nick and Delgato.

"Hey… don't look at me," the Tiger began pretentiously, " _I_ showered this morning…"

"Or me… I might be nervous, but I haven't pissed myself…" Nick said scathingly, "Plus I smell them too… and several others,"

Nick and Fang looked between each other as they stared up the road, both of them having the greatest sense of smell of the group.

"How far do you think?" the Fox asked.

"Fifty metres, give or take… a group of them- eight maybe… using the rubble of the collapsed building as cover…" the Wolf theorised.

They looked to Grizzoli. He nodded, and ordered;

"Move up, take positions,"

Advancing again, Nick and Fang took point, reaching the cover of a rusted old car in the centre of the road. Grizzoli was close to them, also shielding behind an abandoned car; this one parked at the side of the pavement. Mchorn didn't need cover, he simply trundled forward with his humongous ballistic shield, while Delgato remained at the rear of the group, taking position behind a large concrete divider that was blocking a section of the street.

They had now moved up a good twenty metres, greatly closing the gap between the two groups of combatants, and yet… the silence remained.

Nick peeked up from behind the car to look through its murky windows up the street, quickly pulling himself back down.

"Why aren't they shooting? They know we're here…" He said restlessly.

"Maybe they want us to shoot first?" Fang questioned.

"Or they're waiting for something…" Grizzoli mused.

…

* * *

Delgato, at the back of the pack, was silent. He aimed down the scope of his battle rifle. There was no visible shot on the hostiles up the road, but he knew they were there… he could just about see them… a party of predators ready to pounce for the kill, but they made no movement.

This didn't feel right.

It really was, _too_ quiet…

The Tiger changed his aim to gaze around, up the street and along the eaves of the buildings, scanning for anymore possible hostiles.

Changing his gaze again… He then looked up to the monolithic church tower at the top of the urban hillock, the stone tower clearly visible in the sunlight.

He _really_ didn't like the look of that church tower… it was the prime position for a-

A small glint- like a tiny sun, appeared momentarily… then vanished…

That _wasn't_ natural…

Delgato continued to stare at the church tower.

The glint appeared again.

And that's when he knew…

* * *

The sneaking around tactic wasn't working for him; Fang decided he'd try and get the enemy's attention to instigate the coming battle.

Little did he know… he already had it.

He muttered to Nick next to him:

"Stay here," –

…

* * *

Aloft his gargantuan stone plinth, he wielded the eyes of God… From here he could see everything, and everyone… and smite whom he wished.

The amber gem of the Cheetah's eye stared down the monocular telescopic sight of his Barrett M82.

Conditions were perfect.

External ballistics nominal.

He had a clear line of sight…

Five targets:

1 Wolf.

1 Rhino.

1 Lion.

1 Tiger.

1 Fox.

The crosshair was set to pounce, the trigger prepared to bite, the muzzle ready to roar… the bullet, waiting to kill…

He just needed to wait for them to make one false move-

* * *

\- "Stay here,"

As Fang broke from the cover of the car he didn't notice the small broken brick to his right…

His head popped up as he began to move, exposing himself to the enemy. But as he went to run, he tripped over that small broken brick, making him stagger to his right.

How could he have known?

 _Who_ would have known…?

That small broken brick… would _save_ his life…

…

The silence was broken by a deafening crack; a sniper rifle… the sound echoing from all around.

As Fang staggered, he could feel the .50 BMG bullet cut through the air the place where his head had been not but a second before; the air current ruffling the fur on the back of his neck… before it passed and slammed into the road to create a new gaping pothole…

"SNIPER!" Delgato yelled.

And then it all went to hell:

Nick flinched at the sound of the sniper rifle; it was enough to shudder most to their core. But after, he quickly peered up through the murky windows of the car again; his eyed widened in shock as he witnessed the group of eight mammals up the road simultaneously rise from the rubble, their weapons raised…

A moment later… and the street was alive with the sound of gunfire.

All with automatic weapons, the endless loud bangs, pops and cracks dominated their hearing as all the Officers immediately took to whatever cover they had.

Nick dived into Fang to drag him to the ground behind the abandoned car. The White Wolf was in a slight daze after realising he'd nearly bit the dust at that moment, as he and Nick shuffled back behind the vehicle, staying as low as possible.

"CONTACT FRONT!" Grizzoli yelled, blind firing a quick burst from his assault rifle.

"NO SH*T, SHERLOCK!" Fang shouted back sarcastically, clearly over his startle.

"CUT THE CRAP! RETURN FIRE!"

A brief ten seconds went by as the five mammal SWAT team took it in turns to pop up behind their cover and fire a burst or volley from their respective weapons. The eight armed criminals returning it cleanly, the only brief moment of quiet anyone got was when they had to reload.

Bullets flew everywhere, slamming into metal, concrete and glass… each making a distinctive sound as the copper jacketed lead projectiles found their resting place. The discharge of firearms, and the consistent ballistic impacts on the surroundings immediately started kicking up the dust. Sooner or later the visibility up the street was impaired from the airborne powder and smoke.

The obvious leader of the group of criminals; a rather scruffy looking lion was their current problem, he was vigorously firing his PKP machinegun in full auto, mainly at Mchorn's ballistic shield, and the old rusted vehicle that Nick and Fang were sheltering behind, forcing them to practically lie down on the ground for cover.

Grizzoli took a chance; peeking from his cover, he fired a quick burst that hit the lion across the chest. It only made the large cat angry. The other lion recovered from the shots, now blindly firing his MG by the trigger and the carry handle, barely aiming down the street with a mad roar to accompany the roar of his weapon.

Delgato soon put an end to that… firing several quick shots from his battle rifle that hit the lion in the chest and right through the neck… not recovering from it this time as he fell backwards to the floor.

But the distraction only gave the rest of the criminals a chance to reload. They returned from the cover of the rubble, firing their guns wildly towards the police…

But the SWAT Team was ready for them, Fang took the moment to glimpse from his cover with his carbine raised, so when the criminals returned to fire, he got a clean kill on one of them; firing a burst from his weapon, the bullets careened into the chest and shoulder of a dingo. Grizzoli too, made the same move, also getting a clean kill on another of the shooters… but the remaining few still returned fire relentlessly, forcing the SWAT Team back into cover to shield themselves from the flying lead.

They'd partially thinned out the shooters…

But the onslaught of ballistics continued… the SWAT Team was pinned…

That had to change.

Grizzoli called to their squad's juggernaut;

"Mchorn, fu*k 'em up!"

The Rhino planted his heavy mobile cover on the ground with a short metallic thud, giving himself a sound shooting position. He raised his machinegun;

"SUPPRESSING!" He roared as he let loose his M240 in full auto, sending a hailstorm of bullets up the street towards their attackers.

The enemy gunners all had to take cover as the police returned the ballistic barrage, one of them: the tiger, a bit too slowly; those prominent orange stripes quickly became dripping red stripes as he became one with the rubble.

"That sniper's still got a bead on us!" Delgato yelled from behind them as he popped up to fire a round from his battle rifle, swiftly planting a bullet into the head of another one of the shooters up the road.

"Did you see where from!?" Grizzoli replied.

"Scope glint… on the church tower!"

"Was a fu*kin .50 cal too!" Fang exclaimed, probably sounding more distressed than he meant to, quickly hiding it with a burst of his M4.

"You can tell from the sound!?" Nick asked beside him.

"And the size of the fu*kin bullet hole-" a round of bullets slamming into the car next him caused him to flinch back down… "Fu*kin hell! …" He then shouted over to Grizzoli; "… We need better cover than this!"

Grizzoli ducked back down into his cover of the parked car, quickly reloading then clutching one of the cylindrical canisters on his belt. He removed the pin with a hard tug and lobbed it up the street, calling; "Throwing smoke!"

"I meant real cover! Not fu*kin smoke!" Fang growled.

"Then get to that alley- sh*thead! Left side!" Grizzoli snarled in reply, as the smoke grenade began to bellow a torrent of orange gas, "Everyone move!"

Even with the cover of the smoke, bullets still flew up and down the street. In their cover behind the abandoned car, Fang quickly grabbed Nick's attention with a tap of his shoulder;

"You first! I got you covered!"

The Wolf peered out from behind the rusted vehicle, firing in short sharp bursts from his rifle. Nick, filled with adrenaline right now immediately bolted over to the next piece of cover that led to the alley of safety... yet another abandoned car, this time at the edge of the road.

"Come on!" the Fox called back to the Wolf.

Now it was Nick's turn to cover. Staying low to the ground he looked out with his MP5 raised, firing in the same short sharp bursts as his comrade. He returned to safety behind the vehicle as Fang swiftly slid through the dirt of the road gutter into the cover behind him.

One step closer to (almost) safety-

There was another echoing crack.

It was terrifying; even through the hail of gunshots, the sound of the far-off .50 calibre sniper rifle pierced the hearing of all, asserting its dominance of the most fearsome weapon in the encounter.

What was more terrifying was the question of where that bullet was going…

The sound of sheering metal suddenly perforated his hearing as Mchorn halted his fire, he looked down in shock at the gaping hole that had been left in his shield... Not but an inch away from his right leg. Not even his movable slab of armour plating could stop those .50 calibre BMG bullets.

Neither could his helmet…

He was glad he was leaning down at the time, an inch higher and it would have been _a lot_ worse; as another crack of the sniper rifle went off, the bullet grazed the top of his shield, and then skimmed his helmet. He was put in an immediate daze as the ringing erupted through his hearing. It yanked his head right back, knocking the Rhino cleanly to the floor.

"Fu*k," Delgato muttered in shock.

"Rick!" Fang yelled as he rushed to the side of his fallen friend.

The Wolf took shelter behind the shield as he looked over the Rhino; he was quickly joined by the Lion.

"Drag him!" Grizzoli ordered, he and Fang immediately yanking on the straps of Mchorn's gear; "Delgato get the mobile cover, Wilde, covering fire!"

The Fox and the Tiger were there in a flash, following Grizzoli's orders.

Delgato strained a moan as he attempted to lift the movable cover, bullets still slamming into the opposite side; "God, this thing weighs fu*kin a tonne!"

" _He_ weighs fu*kin a tonne!" Fang yelled, referring to the half-conscious Rhino he and Grizzoli were dragging.

Luckily for Nick, the smoke grenade and kicked up dust was doing most of the covering, as his submachinegun, while still effective at this range, was a bit measly compared to the larger weapons of his squad. Nevertheless, he stayed at the right edge of the shield peeking from behind to fire a few bursts from his gun in the general direction of the assailants.

They successfully reached the alley but suddenly, as Nick peeked back behind cover to reload he got a sudden shock as another thunderous crack of the sniper rifle echoed. The bullet hit the edge of the shield tearing the metal and blasting sparks away into Nick's face. It left him disoriented quickly, as he clasped his left paw to shield his eyes as well as being left with a ringing in his ears. He felt he was going to fall forwards into the firing line until he was suddenly pulled over backwards.

Delgato had noticed the small Fox's wobble and quickly outstretched a paw to grab and pull him backwards to safety.

"You alright?" the Tiger asked quickly.

Nick's breathing was heavy but he nodded in reply; "Thanks…"

Fang and Grizzoli had only just rested Mchorn in the backstreet as Nick and Delgato made it to (debatable) safety.

"Check the alley," the Lion ordered the Wolf.

Fang immediately stood, raising his weapon and proceeded down the passage to make sure it was clear. Delgato came to Grizzoli's side to tend to Mchorn while Nick stayed watch on the road, bullets were still slamming into the huge ballistic shield which the Tiger had left poked out of the entrance.

"Hey! HEY! Come on- Wake up ya mug!" Grizzoli fretted as he lightly tapped the Rhino's cheek.

Mchorn managed an inaudible groan and repeatedly blinked his eyes as the two felines looked him over.

"You alright?" Grizzoli asked.

"What happened?" Mchorn was clearly confused at the situation.

"You were just shot in the head with a .50 cal… nearly…"

The Rhino's eyes widened in horror; "Am I dead!?"

"Not yet mate," Delgato joked, "Come-on get up,"

Mchorn slowly wobbled up to his feet, clearly still a bit disoriented, so Grizzoli and Delgato assisted.

"We need to stay off the streets," The Rhino stated the obvious.

No-one could deny that.

Grizzoli looked down the alley calling;

"Fang!?"

The Wolf was already jogging back from his inspection of the backstreet; "Dead end,"

Silently, Nick wished Fang had used a different phrase to describe that… The fact of the matter was the alley really was a dead end. If they wanted to get out of this, they would have to go back out into the road, in clear view of that sniper… And they all knew it.

If Nick was ever going to apply his knowledge of the arena, now was it. He spoke with heavy breaths;

"There's another alley that'll keep us covered for a few blocks… but it's on the opposite side of the road,"

"Show me," Grizzoli answered.

"Over there-" A volley of bullets hitting the shield made Nick flinch, but Grizzoli could see it: another side alley, further up the road on the opposite side.

"… Nick, from now on you're leading the way…"

The Fox responded with a solid nod, his straight face successfully hiding his nerves.

Another volley of bullets hitting the shield made them both move further into the alley. Grizzoli had noticed;

"… Those other three shooters are moving up…"

"I got an idea…" Fang piped up.

"I'm open to suggestions," Grizzoli said as he turned around.

"Got a flashbang?" the Wolf asked.

The Lion answered by unclipping another cylindrical canister from his belt. Fang immediately took that as a yes, so he continued; holstering his carbine and drawing his shotgun from his back.

"Cook it… throw it when I say…"

…

* * *

It was a shame really… she was hoping for a challenge. But the sound of gunfire couldn't be unheard. It made the hunt for the Red Wolf and her pack much easier.

Follow the gunfire…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _ **'The Hunt'**_

* * *

Through the still lingering orange fog of the SWAT Team's smoke grenade, the three armed criminals still standing noticed the bullets had stopped firing back.

After a while, they too decided to hold fire…

The three of them; a fox, a wild dog and a cougar, broke from their cover of the rubble pile, slowly advancing forward like ghosts through the orange mist… a group of predators on the prowl.

They approached the seemingly quiet alley… angered at the death of their other five comrades who had fallen in the encounter; their weapons were fully loaded and raised… ready to make that alley the SWAT Team's grave.

So they weren't expecting it…

The three predators were suddenly attracted to something that flew from behind the SWAT shield… a small short tube, watching it swiftly fly through the air-

It didn't even reach the ground.

The three of them didn't recognise it as a flashbang grenade until it was all too late. The blinding white flash of the grenade detonating and the deafening bang was the last thing they would ever see or hear…

* * *

The flash and bang of the grenade exploding was his indication…

Fang burst from the cover of the huge ballistic shield, running and rolling forward to aim his M1014 shotgun at the three blinded and deafened mammals… it took barely a couple of seconds… and three loud blasts from his shotgun;

One.

Two.

Three.

And the armed criminals hit the floor backwards with the addition of a large bloody hole in their chests.

He had barely a second…

Fang immediately rolled to his right, because as he'd expected-

There was another loud crack from the far-off sniper rifle.

The bullet slammed into the road where the White Wolf had just been, excavating another hole into the cracked tarmac.

"NOW!" he shouted.

All at once the rest of the squad charged from the alley, Mchorn picking up the mobile cover as he left. They ran as fast as they could, taking different paths across the street through the litter of large objects they were previously using as cover from the gunfire, towards the salvation of the opposite alley.

It was clearly making the sniper restless, as the far-off rifle was now firing wildly down the street in an attempt to abruptly stop at least one of the running mammals… but he couldn't even hit the biggest target of the Rhino.

Not to say he didn't come close… as Nick was running he could practically see, as if in slow motion, the .50 calibre bullets fly past him by mere inches as they travelled to their (unintended) destinations.

A few seconds of pure adrenaline later and the SWAT Team had all made it to the relative safety of the opposite alley, and out of the now brass cylinder strewn street.

But it was far from over…

Fang made it into the alley first, after the others had filed in he thought he could say with confidence;

"I think we're clear-"

The Wolf was cut off as he noticed Grizzoli raise his assault rifle seemingly at him, shouting;

"DOWN!"

Fang immediately ducked, instantly after which the Lion fired two shots from his weapon.

The bullets flew over the White Wolf, travelling down the alley to meet with two other wolves who had just appeared the other end with rifles raised, ready to fire.

Grizzoli could have actually gotten away with just one bullet… The first shot collided with the first wolf's neck, severing his jugular and out the other side where it slammed into the second wolf's chest. The second shot was just insurance.

Delgato peered to look out into the street they had just crossed. He didn't need to check twice…

"There's more coming… all of them wolves…" He shouted.

"They're trying to corner us…" Fang muttered, "… We're being hunted…"

Nick turned around, looking for a way out for them all, easily finding a large enough door in a small inlet of the alley, he knew exactly where to go after that.

"The door! Through there!" He yelled, grabbing the others attention.

Nick rushed to the door, Fang was with him, while the others covered from the approaching pack of wolves. The sound of gunfire returned as Grizzoli, Delgato and Mchorn had to defend themselves.

Fang pulled down hard on the door handle:

Locked.

Nick was actually about to curse when the Wolf quickly moved him from the way and aimed his shotgun at the lock… blasting it away instantly with a loud bang.

The door swung inwards slowly- made abruptly quicker when Fang lifted his leg to kick it fully open; he and Nick had their weapons raised, but it was clear… the door led to the empty back store room of a stripped out shop. They entered the room, finding another door leading to the main store.

This one was open.

The Fox and the Wolf entered the shop, Fang taking point, quickly checking every corner to find it completely empty except for its many unfilled display shelves. The others had retreated into the store room, and came straight through into the shop area… but the pursuing wolves were quick to catch up.

"Keep that door shut!" Grizzoli ordered.

Mchorn quickly slammed the door closed behind them, barricading it with his sheer size and strength, quickly having to push against it (without much effort) as the door started banging with the pack of wolves behind it. Grizzoli holstered his assault rifle on his back, moving up to one of the shops display shelves;

"Seb! Help me with this!"

The Tiger holstered his own weapon, and proceeded to help. With the strength of the two of them, they ripped the cabinet from the tiled floor pushing the heavy shelves across it. Mchorn moved from the way as the two large felines pushed the cabinet in the way of the storage room door.

"That won't hold them long…" Delgato commented.

"It'll do for a minute, unless-"

Grizzoli suddenly stopped talking, considering the banging on the door had stopped… replaced with silence-

And a quiet beeping noise.

It was slow at first… but then grew quicker… And louder:

The consistent beep of a pack of C4 about to detonate…

He, Delgato and Mchorn all rushed from the back of the shop to where Nick and Fang had been marking the street, as almost the entire back wall blew apart with a blast of dust and a sharp shockwave. It knocked the entire SWAT Team all to the floor, and shattered the front windows… covering the ground in broken glass.

Coated in dust and glass, all five mammals turned over and fired a volley of lead through the heavy airborne powder to the back of the shop with whatever weapon they had to hand at the time… it was swiftly returned, but was just as blind fired as their own. No bullet from either side found its mark.

Delgato couldn't help but half finish Grizzoli's sentence with a sarcastic remark;

"-Unless that!?"

"Not what I was expecting! … But yea!"

Nick rose from the ground first, staying low and watching his step amongst the million transparent shards on the floor.

"This way!" he beckoned.

"Cover him… go!" Grizzoli ordered, noticing the others had looked to him.

As they all rose and turned to follow the Fox, Grizzoli quickly picked another grenade from his belt, this time… a round one.

If their enemy was going to use explosives, he would quiet happily return the favour…

The lion pulled the pin on the frag grenade before throwing it to where the door and wall had just been blasted through, after which he immediately turned to join the others.

The first wolf through that breach got the full face of the blast… and the shrapnel.

* * *

Nick knew exactly where to go; it was literally across the street. An old bar. The sign above it read:

 _THE URBAN INFERNO_

He remembered it used to belong to a friend's family but got bought up by a chain, renamed, and refurbished and quickly became recognized for its famous (and dangerous) flaming drinks. But Nick remembered something else about this particular bar…

Grizzoli's grenade had seemed to have stalled the pursuing wolves for the moment, as the team had made it across the street without any trouble. Nick reached the pub first, going straight for the front door, instantly moving to push it open;

But the door didn't budge…

"Arr- no, no, no, NO!" Nick muttered as he tried desperately to open the door.

"MOVE!"

It was the Rhino who had roared, making Nick swiftly look behind. He practically had to dive out of the way as Mchorn charged at the entrance, thumping hard with every step… but it was well necessary. As the Rhino charged into the door, it ripped the thing from its hinges, flying backwards a good few metres, and smashing the glass.

Nick nor anyone else could deny it was an efficient way to breach a door.

"Get in!" the Rhino yelled again.

As the others made their way inside, Mchorn stayed marking the door, swiftly bringing his shield up to protect himself and his squad when a volley of bullets erupted from the shop they just escaped as the hunting wolves appeared out of the dust. The Rhino backed away slowly until he was in the doorway, finally deciding it was time to leave his SWAT shield behind; it was peppered the one side with several hundred bullet sized dents, and several actual holes that had been made by the .50 calibre sniper rifle. After they had entered the tavern, he planted it down at the entrance blocking the doorway, now holding his machinegun two handed.

When Nick entered, he hadn't wasted any time; Grizzoli followed him as the Fox quickly went behind the back of the bar to find the door to the basement. It was at the end, and was a more like a hatch… He pulled out his sidearm, blasting the lock with two pulls of the trigger, then re-holstered.

"Down here… in the cellar," Nick said as he flipped up the large wooden trapdoor. The small Fox couldn't lift it all the way, so Grizzoli helped him.

Mchorn marked from the door, while Fang and Delgato had moved to the two front windows, swiftly firing their weapons to deter their pursuers; until the glazing was suddenly obliterated in a hail of gunfire, forcing the SWAT Team to duck to the floor as they became showered in more broken glass.

"Stay here, hold them back!" Grizzoli ordered.

"Whaddya think we're trying to do!?" Fang retorted.

Despite the remark, Fang didn't let his guard down. Mchorn gave him and Delgato covering fire with his machinegun as the three of them retreated behind the much more solid bar counter for cover, quickly returning the gunfire again as the Fox and the Lion entered the basement.

Nick ran straight over to the bare far wall, the opposite end of the underground room. Grizzoli was confused and a little angry; perfectly reasonable considering the life and death situation they were in.

He practically growled at the Fox; "Nick, what the fu*k are we doing in a bar cellar!?"

Nick was lightly knocking the bare brick wall of the cellar, trying to find the specific spot;

"There's a secret tunnel… but it's bricked up…"

"How the heck do you kno-"

Grizzoli's tone had made Nick quite tetchy, he yapped in response; "Do we _really_ have time for that right now!?"

The Lion couldn't deny that, he shouted up the stairs, grabbing the Rhino's attention; "Rick!"

Mchorn quickly came down the wooden basement stair, creaking with every step.

Grizzoli continued; "We need you to smash a wall down-"

"With pleasure…"

Nick was still banging on the wall, suddenly finding the place where he could hear it was hollow the other side. He turned to the Rhino;

"Here! Right here!"

Nick stood aside as Mchorn brought a swift coiled up fist to the bare brick, his armoured gloves making it an easy task. Several bricks fell down, echoing down the darkened secret passage behind as they hit the floor.

As Mchorn, brought another fist to the brick wall, more collapsed in front and behind. While Nick cleared the bricks from the way, Grizzoli returned upstairs to assist the other two.

He ascended the stairs, weapon in paw, the sound of gunfire and ricocheting bullets grew louder. Fang was at the far end of the bar, firing off his assault rifle while Delgato was next to him, aiming down the canted iron sights of his own rifle.

"On my last mag…" Fang yelled, as he ducked down to reload his M4.

"Here…" Grizzoli answered by sliding a magazine along the wooden floor.

"Leonard!" Delgato grabbed the Lion's attention, as he fired a few rounds from his M14; "… You said we'd be only facing light resistance!?"

"Then God forbid the thought of what the other teams must be facing!"

"Even so… I'm definitely gonna say this is the most fu*ked up mission we've ever ha-ARRGHHRRR!"

The sudden yell from the Tiger turned into a feral roar of pain as he collapsed backwards. Delgato dropped his battle rifle which swung down to his side from his carry-strap as he clutched his paws up to his right ear… where blood was gushing like a faucet down his arms.

"Fang, stay as cover!"

"Got it," was the Wolf's response, a clear hint of concern (and anger) for his injured friend. Especially when he sprayed a full volley of bullets out into the street with a loud growl.

Grizzoli was at Delgato's side instantly. The Tiger was releasing repeated groans of pain as the blood still flowed, staining the wooden floor. Grizzoli dragged him to the top of the stair, quickly taking him down the steps.

"Medkit… NOW!" He yelled to Mchorn.

The Rhino was still in the midst of knocking down the wall, so he turned to Nick who had been moving the bricks.

"Back left!"

Referring to the pocket on the Rhino's backpack the medkit was in. Nick went to grab it instantly, handing it to Grizzoli, instantaneously opening it to find something to stop the bleeding. He ordered Nick;

"Keep the pressure on!"

Nick pressed his paws against Delgato's wound, feeling the horribly warm liquid sensation of blood, coated in the Tiger's fur, the bullet had almost torn his ear off.

It horrified Nick to see his comrade this way; Delgato's face was scrunched up, teeth clenched hard and eyes closed as he continued to groan trying to fight the pain, blood starting to pool on the floor.

Nick also noticed, which Grizzoli clearly hadn't, as he looked at the impact marks on the Tiger's ballistic vest;

"He's hit in the chest…"

Grizzoli turned around instantly;

"Sh*t…"

He handed Nick the bundle of cloth he had grabbed from the kit. Nick moved his paws away from the Tiger's torn ear and placed the cloth with the same pressure he had his paws; the white fabric quickly became red with the Tiger's blood. Grizzoli quickly unzipped the front of the Delgato's vest, forcing his paw underneath the bullet impacts… becoming instantly relieved;

"Hasn't gone through…" he mumbled, looking up to the Fox, "I'll deal with this-"

Suddenly the sound of a wall fully collapsing next to them diverted their attention;

"Way's clear," Mchorn announced his completion of the small wall demolition.

Grizzoli looked back at Nick;

"Get Fang, we need to move, _now_!"

Nick didn't hesitate, instantly standing up and un-holstering his MP5. But as he went to go up the stairs, he was stopped in is tracks as a small red cylinder came crashing down the steps;

On the top of it, a small flame… billowing out a light smoke…

* * *

The Red Wolf: Rosa Marconi was infuriated right now. She'd lost three of her wolf pack to these bast*rds… so a slight pleasure came from her shot on the Tiger from her ACR assault rifle, and she knew the bullet had landed:

She heard the roar of pain.

But bullets still flew from the confines of the tavern; the bright sunlight outside combined with the poor lighting of the inside of the building meant she couldn't see how many of the SWAT team were still standing.

At least one, clearly, when another of her wolf pack took a bullet to the head, blood and brains splattered from his torn skull as he fell backwards to the ground.

She'd had enough now.

Pulling back down to her cover she ordered to her pack;

"BURN THEM OUT!"

Two of the wolves closest to her went into action, each grasping a red cylinder from their gear. Even though they weren't meant to be thrown, the wolves tossed them into the building anyway; they pulled the pins on the thermite grenades, immediately hurling them away due to the shorter fuse…

* * *

Fang was doing his best to hold off the opposing wolf pack alone. They hadn't advanced, and he was sure he had shot at least one more of them. But he was running out of ammunition…

That became very clear when his rifle only clicked as he pulled the trigger next.

The Wolf ducked back behind the bar, tossing the rifle away and drawing his shotgun. He had just popped back up to continue fighting when suddenly a metallic red cylinder came crashing through an upper window and landed hard on the bar.

He noticed it was a thermite grenade… and its fuse was burning;

"AH… Fu*k!" he exclaimed.

Fang used the only thing capable, he unhooked the straps of his helmet, took it off and slammed it down hard over the grenade. His helmet became scorching hot in an instant, so he swiftly smacked the melting bowl of Kevlar away from the counter onto the floor the far side of the bar, dragging the grenade with it.

It shielded him from the heat for a moment, until he realised the bar counter was already on fire, and the flame had only spread further.

Fang was about to turn down the stairs in retreat… but suddenly another grenade fell in front of him, rebounding off the propped up hatch to the basement and then fell through, bouncing down the stairs… this one, also red.

He knew then it was too late.

* * *

Nick had to shield his eyes as the thermite ignited on the stairs, the molten metal and burning sparks scorching the wood into nothingness, and began melting the concrete basement floor. The sheer heat was enough to make the Fox withdraw.

It didn't take very long, but now the thermite had burned the wooden stairs away, and in the space of a millisecond, the building was in an uncontrollable blaze, in both the main bar and the basement.

Grizzoli couldn't hide his concern; the rarest occasions where he used Fang's first name;

"JOHN!"

He attempted to rush through the flames to save his friend, but Mchorn held him back;

"Don't! … The flames!"

"HE'S GONNA DIE UP THERE!" the Lion growled.

He started to thrash around in Mchorn's grip, even though he knew it was futile. But suddenly he stopped, noticing the Fox of their team had rushed to the other side of the cellar, next to the dumbwaiter lift. Nick had raised the elevator door and was about to climb the shaft: the only one of them small enough to do so.

"Nick!?" Grizzoli shouted in disbelief.

"I'll get Fang! Just follow the tunnel!" the Fox exclaimed, "Don't wait for us- GO!"

With that, Nick disappeared up the shaft.

Mchorn picked Delgato from the floor (carefully) placing the half conscious Tiger across his shoulders.

"Leonard come on!" He yelled.

Grizzoli was still dumbfounded as Mchorn entered the tunnel, carrying the injured Tiger into the dark passageway, which began descending where it became even darker.

"LEONARD!" Mchorn called again.

Quickly, the Lion re-found his equanimity, noticing the flames were spreading and the room was getting hotter and hotter until he had to shield his own face from the immense heat. He picked up Mchorn's discarded machinegun using it to cover their rear… not that he thought anyone would be following them.

As he followed Mchorn (who now had a flashlight on) he looked back to the basement inferno, feeling completely destitute to helping the rest of his squad, all he could do was hope that Nick and Fang would make it out alive…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 _ **'Close Shave'**_

* * *

Bullets still flew in from the street, forcing Fang to keep ducked beneath the burning bar.

"Ah… sh*t…" he muttered despairingly.

The heat in the building was immense. He could have sworn it was already scorching his fur as the flames grew larger, he made sure to keep his tail close. Fang had to bring a paw to his muzzle as he began coughing. The increasing volume of toxic smoke began making it difficult to breath. Cinders of burning timber began to rain down from above as the flames climbed ever higher.

Even in the midst of the blaze, Fang didn't give up, continuing the firefight by popping up from the bar to fire his shotgun in retaliation… But he couldn't escape the truth;

He was trapped.

He would die here.

He had never imagined going out like this… a simple yet incredibly difficult choice of either burning to death or being shot to death…

He chose the latter…

He was gonna die _fighting_ -

* * *

The climb wasn't too difficult, despite the very smooth steel plating of the shaft. As soon as Nick forced the dumbwaiter hatch open, the wave of heat hit him and he immediately began to cough from the toxic fumes. Every instinct of his told Nick to run from the inferno… much like the instincts of any other mammal…

Like the Wolf he was trying to save…

Fang was literally around the corner of the bar, as the dumbwaiter opened up to the hall that led to the backdoor. Nick knew this… and that was their only way out… but there was still a series of flames in between him and Fang.

Nick brought his free paw to his mouth, attempting to filter the smoke though it. It was pointless, yet reassuring nonetheless.

He had to think fast…

Any longer and the smoke would kill them both, let alone the crackling flames or the immense heat. Nick looked across the hall. There were three fire extinguishers next to each other, hooked onto the wall, each of a different kind. Someone would have deemed that overkill… but (before it was abandoned) this bar _was_ famous for flaming drinks… How coincidental or just ironic it would actually go up in flames…

There was no time.

Nick pulled out his G17 pistol, and fired a round into each of them-

Foam

Powder

CO2

All erupted from the extinguishers, the bizarre combination dousing the flames enough in the vicinity as the resulting outburst of pressure knocked the canisters free from the wall.

Nick climbed out of the dumbwaiter, noticing and grabbing a fire blanket that hung next to the elevator access.

The close proximity gunshots and exploding fire extinguishers got the White Wolf's attention; he looked down the bar… astonished to see the Fox suddenly come round the corner.

Nick unravelled the fire blanket, tossing it across the flames in between them both. Fang caught the other end… the two canids forcing it down onto the flames, putting them out.

"This way!" Nick yelled, signalling for Fang to follow.

He didn't waste any time, the Wolf followed the Fox, both of them staying low to avoid the smoke and bullets.

Fang left his M4 carbine behind for the fire to claim… it was useless without ammo anyway, plus he still had his shotgun.

They made it to the back door. It was a thick and heavy hardwood… and was triple padlocked.

But that wouldn't stop them.

Nick un-holstered his submachinegun, firing off a full 30 round magazine into the timber door. It splintered the wood, significantly weakening it… enough so that even Nick, with his smaller size, was able to smash through it... whether it was just all his force that did it or his determination to survive. Fang immediately followed him out into another back-alley.

Both canids were still coughing as they entered the refreshing outside… taking a brief moment to catch their breath. Parts of their fur had been lightly singed from the severe heat, making a noticeable acrid smell… one that Nick wouldn't forget easily.

Moving away from the forced exit, they suddenly realised how much smoke was billowing from the broken door that lead to the building fire. They also realised that parts of their fur were also covered in soot; a quick pat down removed the worst.

Nick and Fang looked to each other with heavy breaths, in both shock, amazement and relief… all stemming from their escape from the fire. Fang expressed his gratitude, sincerely saying;

"Thanks…"

"Don't mention it…" Nick replied with his sideways smile.

They had escaped the inferno, but they were quick to realise they were far from safe… their pursuers had expected a back door escape…

When two of the hunting wolves turned down the far end of the alley, Nick and Fang didn't exchange any words, just turned and ran the opposite way.

They were taken aback when three more wolves blasted through the backdoor of the neighbouring building to the bar, cutting them off.

The first one through pushed Nick over with such force it snapped the strap to his ballistic helmet, making the heavy bowl of Kevlar fall free from his head when he fell sideways, into the wall before dropping to the concrete floor of the alley.

Fang immediately engaged the three wolves; swiftly flicking out his extendable nightstick, he planted two quick and hard blows on the back of the neck of the first wolf, instantly making him join Nick on the floor.

The second through the door rapidly pulled up his SCAR-H rifle to fire, but Fang knocked it away with his truncheon in his right paw just as it fired. The bang from the weapon barrel forced a ringing in Fang's ears, but it was a mere hindrance; he didn't relent from the fight. He immediately used his free left paw to punch the other wolf's ribs, and brought his baton back against the wolf's left ribs once- twice, three times… then grabbed his head so Fang could bring his right knee hard up to the underside of the wolf's jaw.

The melee took barely a few seconds before the second wolf was incapacitated. Fang pushed him into the third wolf… getting very little chance to defend himself before Fang attacked. He grabbed the wolf's arm with his free paw, twisting him round and striking with his nightstick twice to the ribs. Following that, a blow to the back of the wolf's leg, forcing the canid to his knees before Fang brutally slammed the side of the canine's head against the solid brick wall, several times… _so_ hard it cracked the bricks.

The third canid fell over forwards, dropping his rifle.

But Fang was too slow to notice the first wolf on the floor was not out yet; the other canid had pulled out his Five-Seven handgun…

But Nick roused himself enough to notice. In a split second he grasped his broken Kevlar helmet, cupping it around the barrel of the unsuspecting wolf's handgun, pulling it to the ground. As the trigger was pulled, Nick felt the contact shot of the bullet vibrate through the helmet, forcing him to let go.

Nick was staggered to realise the shot had actually gone straight through the Kevlar. He swiftly jabbed at the wolf's ribs, kicked the pistol from his grasp, and quickly caught the larger canine in a headlock on the floor. But the wolf was stronger than him; he flipped sideways, so Nick was now above him… but that's just what the Fox wanted… it was enough time for him to pull out his own nightstick, driving two swift hard blows to the back of the wolf's head… enough to draw blood… until he brought down the last blow, knocking the canine out instantly.

In the scuffle, Fang picked up one of the wolves dropped carbines, as Nick did the same with the pistol, both aiming down the alley at the two other wolves.

They fired several rounds each.

All of them missed as the two canids took to the cover of a heavy steel dumpster, pulling it away from the wall to block the bullets.

Nick and Fang continued to supress the two wolves, moving backwards down the alley as they did so, but their enemy's cover was too heavy… and suddenly their weapons ran dry of ammunition… and they had _no_ cover…

The rest of the wolf pack were coming… even through the loud crackling of the still burning building, they could hear them.

And both Officer's knew their only option;

"Run…" Nick said, "RUN!"

He and Fang both turned tail, running swiftly down the rest of the back-alley as fast as their legs would carry them. They expected to have to duck and cover from more ballistic fire… but none came. Fang looked back to see… The wolves were giving chase. Too fast to count how many, but at the head of the pack was a Red She-Wolf.

They reached the next junction of the alley, Nick rapidly turning right up the perpendicular passage, scraping his claws across the concrete floor for extra traction and a swish of his tail to keep his momentum as he turned. Fang did the same, following close behind.

This alley went even narrower… and was blocked by a thick wire mesh fence. Not a problem for the two Officer's, and would hopefully stall their pursuers.

Nick reached the fence, jumping up and climbed it easily. Fang followed suit, also jumping and climbing the fence with ease.

But it didn't stall their pursuers as much as they had hoped: the Red Wolf kept her pace, as did the rest of her pack… All of them swiftly climbing the fence with the same athleticism as their hunt.

The Arctic Wolf and the Red Fox continued to run for their lives...

Nick reach the end of the alley first, opening out into a wide, empty street where the church tower was clearly visible again... the very same church tower from not but a few minutes ago…

Another terrifying shot from the .50 calibre sniper tore the bricks from the corner of the building, showering Nick in the shattered clay.

It also stopped him in his tracks as he recoiled from shock, until Fang came up behind him shouting:

"GO, GO!"

They bounded across the street as fast as possible cutting into another back-alley.

Any falter on their pace and they were dead.

Any wrong turn and they were dead.

But Nick knew where he was going.

The alley opened up into a small courtyard with raised flowerbeds… one that in its heyday might have looked somewhat pleasant. The flowers were dead and the soil bare.

Nick ran to the alley leading to the far right corner of the small square, Fang still following unquestionably, putting a lot of trust that the Fox knew where he was going.

This next alley was long and wide with many entrances spaced down the edges to old apartments.

Nick suddenly turned into one of the doorways;

"In here!"

He reached up and yanked the handle hard, the door pushing free as he entered. Fang came in behind, glancing back the way they came…

The gang of wolves had just turned the corner, and seeing their targets enter the building… decided now to shoot at them.

Fang dived inside the hallway as the volley of bullet hit the brick and wooden doorframe.

"Fang, come on!"

The Wolf turned to see Nick halfway up the stairs of the apartment building. Fang rose from the dust covered carpet and followed, charging up the stairs as fast as possible, following the Fox to what he hoped would be safety.

They both reached the first landing as the sound of the front door being blasted open erupted from downstairs.

Nick ran around to the second set of stairs, Fang followed still, but as he went, he pulled down a wall cabinet from its weak fixings, blocking the way for their pursuers as he too started climbing the next set of stairs.

The sound of their hunters footsteps on the staircase below suddenly stopped… and Fang knew why…

He bounded up the stairs two steps at a time, pushing Nick forward too. They had only just made it to the next landing as the wooden steps suddenly splintered because a volley of bullets burst from beneath them, kicking up shards of timber and years' worth of dust.

The two Officer's continued to run, climbing the next set of stairs to the next landing filled with even more closed apartment doors, Fang still knocking any furniture in the hallway down to stall their hunters.

But they didn't go to the next set of stairs… as there were none; they were now on the top floor.

Instead, Nick turned to one of the apartment doors. This one had been left slightly ajar so only a quick shove of the door moved it freely.

Nick and Fang entered the room, the Wolf quietly closing the door behind them.

"Here…" Nick said, as he opened the top draw of a dresser next to the front door, quickly fumbling around and pulling out a single key with a Zootopia Natural History Museum keychain attached to it.

He handed the key to Fang, continuing; "… Lock the door…"

"What?" Fang responded, both confused as to why and to how Nick knew where the key to the apartment was, and also what the point of locking the door was.

The sound of footsteps climbing the stairs to their floor quickly reminded them they didn't have time to argue. They decided to lower their voices;

"Just take the damn key…"

So the Wolf took the key.

Nick frantically looked around the room; an old and unkempt studio apartment sized for a small mammal, that still had its aged furniture… now crusted with years' worth of dust. The dresser to the left of the door had a single mirror placed precariously above it on the wall. The kitchenette was beyond that, to the left side, the bathroom immediately to the right. The small living area to the right beyond the bathroom had a single bare sofa and coffee table lying in front of a large chimney breast, and a small double-bed the opposite side of the room. There were two windows both of them broken, a quite large windowsill plant pot with overgrown lavender grew in from the first; the window next to it led to the outside fire escape…

That's exactly where Fang went to continue their escape after he had locked the door… But Nick didn't.

He already had a plan.

The Wolf turned back to see the Fox had ripped a few of the lavender herbs from its roots out of the window plant box, and started wafting the plant around the room.

Fang only watched, completely gobsmacked at what the Fox could possibly be thinking…

"What the fu*k are you doing!?"

Nick initially ignored, continuing to waft the highly scented herb around the room before moving over to the fire escape where Fang was.

"It's lavender…" Nick explained, now throwing the plant out of the window, onto the fire escape and down onto the street, "… it'll mask our scent,"

Fang was perplexed;

"Nick, we're wasting time, we need to _run_!"

"No…" Nick expressed, "…we need to _hide_ …"

He pulled out his standard issue knife, and started to carefully cut away the old wallpaper at the corner of the chimney breast, careful to not make a noticeable mess, explaining;

"… These old rooms have fake chimney breasts, they're completely hollow…" He now stuck the knife into the wall, looking like he was prying something open, "… some tenants often used them as a secret hidey-hole when their landlords came round asking for rent, and other _miscellaneous_ illegal things… which means…"

The end of the chimney breast moved free as a complete board of wood: a small secret door that revealed… just as Nick had said; a secret hideaway room behind the fake wall of the chimney breast… filled with more dust and a dozen cobwebs.

"In, now,"

Fang looked judgementally;

"Surely you can't be serious…?"

Now the sound of the next door apartment being forcefully opened reminded them they didn't have time to argue.

"I _am_ serious-" Nick answered, quite sternly… a tone of his very rarely used.

Fang huffed, in annoyance and nerves. He entered the hiding spot, using his nightstick the scoop up the worst of the cobwebs. Nick followed in behind, pulling the secret timber door back in place, encasing them in the tiny wood panel room. He looked at Fang… and with a smirk, Nick couldn't help but to finish his sentence;

"-And don't call me Shirley…"

…

* * *

A swift kick was all that was needed to smash the door open. Rosa Marconi burst through the door, her rifle raised ready to mow down the Red Fox and the Arctic Wolf she and her pack were hunting.

Empty… only the old furniture and the smell of dust and damp. No sign or scent of their two targets.

If they had been in here she would smell them…

The next room;

Again, empty…

They moved on, now reaching the last apartment… the scent stopped here. Marconi gently pulled down the handle.

This one was locked… It was the only door that had been locked.

She smirked sinisterly.

She had them now…

Marconi stepped back from the door, raising her ACR again and firing a full 30 round magazine that was no match for the slab of plywood. The door became peppered with holes and splinters were sent flying behind it.

The Red Wolf side stepped as she finished firing, dropping the empty magazine free and loading another. She had expected some sort of ballistic response… but nothing came.

With a nod to her pack, she stepped aside as two wolves barged through the heavily weakened plywood, breaking the holey door into several pieces as they charged into the apartment.

Marconi was confused; there had been no gunfire… nothing.

She sauntered in behind them… finding the room was empty, with the exception of its aged furniture, and a very strong odour…

All she could smell, everywhere in the room… was lavender.

She looked around, analysing the apartment.

The dust had been disturbed in here… the Fox and the Wolf had been in here for sure.

Then she noticed the broken window… rushing over to it she could see a small tuft of white fur caught on the broken glass. She leaned through, noticing this was the exit to the external fire escape… the lavender smell also followed, however dissipated it was.

Marconi turned to the two wolves in the room;

"Fire escape… check it, up and down…"

She then called over to the other three that were outside;

"You three, check everywhere, search everything… leave nothing unturned…"

As the three wolves began to ransack the apartment, Marconi still analysed the room, trying to imitate and imagine her hunt's earlier actions.

She looked down to the dust covered floor. In places it had been heavily disturbed, in others not so much. Something metallic and shiny caught her eye on the floor. She picked it up. It was a keychain, reading;

 _Zootopia Museum of Natural History_

Useless junk…

She tossed it aside with a quiet snarl…

No scent.

No sign.

No clue.

She had lost them, and it made her angry.

But where she had tossed the keychain she saw, the dust had also been disturbed… an unnoticeable corner of the apartment… at the end of the chimney breast-

…

Chimney breast?

This building had _no_ chimneys…

So why was there a chimney breast?

Marconi holstered her ACR over her back, slowly approaching the empty wall to analyse it further. She took a few more sniffs.

Still only lavender… but the scent was stronger…

* * *

Inside the fake chimney breast, Nick and Fang had placed themselves the far end of the hidey-hole, facing the faux wall side on, and looking straight at the hidden door; it was a tight squeeze, even for Nick. Fang was at the end and Nick was in front of him, almost cradled like a cub in front of the larger canine, his tail between his legs, while Fang's was to his right side.

They could hear the floor boards creaking as their pursuers moved about the apartment... it didn't take their heightened sense of hearing to tell.

The fact that the wolves just the other side of that single panel of wood and wallpaper had the same sense of hearing meant Nick and Fang stayed still and as quiet as physically and audibly possible.

Any noise in the slightest…

And they were dead.

It remained quiet, only the sound of the place being ransacked and the footsteps remained. It appeared that Nick's plan had worked. The wolves had lost their scent and they couldn't find them-

But suddenly there was a quiet knock on their wall…

* * *

Marconi brought a balled up paw to the wall gently touching the cold facing. She leant there for a moment, and then knocked.

It echoed…

This wall was hollow.

She looked to the corner of the chimney breast where the dust had been disturbed… a small seam of the aged wallpaper had been torn away. Could have been natural degradation, but no…

 _This_ had been done by a knife.

So she slowly unsheathed her own: A far larger and far more terrifying combat machete, strapped to her thigh, in place of a pistol holster…

The blade made the usual satisfying metallic swipe as it was unleashed…

She held the polymer handle firmly, and menacingly… facing the wall…

* * *

The silence was terrifying. Nick could hear his own heartbeat thumping through his body. Fangs too was clearly noticeable. Both of them shared the same emotions at that point, one of fear… fear of not knowing if they would be alive for much longer.

The wall was not sound proofed whatsoever, so they could hear everything.

They had heard the volley of bullets fire. They had heard the door burst open. They had heard the wolves' footsteps. They had heard the one female Wolf give orders…

They had heard _that_ knock.

Fearing a volley of bullets would soon strike them as they cowered behind this wall was the only thing on Nick's mind. It was too much to bare…

His idea had failed, now he'd gotten him and Fang killed. He forced his eyes shut as he prepared for the worst.

…

But silence remained.

…

Nothing had happened…

…

Until a small slither of the wood gave way as large knife blade burst through the timber panelled wall…

Nick and Fang looked at the steel blade in terror… as if it was death itself, incarnated in front of them.

The machete was pulled out.

But it immediately returned, closer.

Again it withdrew.

And returned… closer.

Again closer.

Closer…

Closer-

 _Closer_ …

The two canids tried to shuffle slightly and kept as low as possible to try and avoid the worst case scenario. In the quiet scuffle, Nick turned his head to the right…

Just as the machete came through one last time-

 _Much_ too close.

"AH-"

Fang clasped his paw over Nick's muzzle to suppress the Fox's yelp of pain as the blade came through sideways… cutting deep into the edge of his cheek…

* * *

There was a sudden loud crash, as one of the wolves searching the apartment had knocked the mirror by the door from its precarious fixing, shattering on the floor as it fell.

The sudden sharp noise startled Marconi as she had stabbed the wall with her machete, and it was the only thing she had heard. She left her knife emplaced in the wall as she went to investigate… and discipline the young wolf that had disrupted her.

* * *

Nick's breathing was heavy, still trying desperately to be as quiet as possible, aided by Fang still holding his muzzle. He also held the Fox from making any sudden movement… he could feel Nick trembling with the pain.

And the Fox was trying his best to not feel it… but this blade was sharp and currently unmoved… blood from the wound was already cascading down Nick's cheek, soaking the white part of his fur a deep crimson.

But staying quiet was only half of their dire situation…

If the blade was pulled free with Nick's blood still on it… the wielder of that machete would know they were there…

And finish the job by stabbing again to put more blood on the blade.

Fang was determined not to let this secret room be his and Nick's grave.

He had to wipe it clean.

Slowly, still keeping Nick from moving, he brought his left paw up to touch the sharp knife edge, grasping enough of the steel to wipe the part stained with the Fox's blood.

Then, after a small scuffle outside… the knife began to move, slowly outwards.

The pain of the moving blade made Nick shiver more, still trying to be as silent as possible. Fang kept his right grasp still over the Fox's muzzle, his left grasp on the knife edge as it seemed to move in slow motion… swiping up Nick's blood on the carbon steel with his thick paws…

Fang cringed as the blade finally disappeared through the wall.

He only hoped it was enough…

* * *

After the brief reprimand of the young wolf, Marconi walked back to the chimney breast, just as one of the other canids climbed back through the window to the fire escape, the other following.

"Marconi… They're not here…" the first wolf began, "they may have climbed down the fire escape and ran… but there's no sign of them… no scent..."

The Red Wolf scowled at the other wolf, reaching round and clamping her paw around the handle of her machete, still emplaced in the dummy wall. She had wedged it quite firmly in the wood, so pulled it out slowly.

The machete slowly slipped out from the wall… and once free, Marconi looked at the carbon steel blade.

And all she saw was steel…

The blade was clean.

The Red Wolf growled, re-sheathing her machete;

"Downstairs. Now! And split up… they can't have gotten far!"

And so, one by one, the wolf pack left the apartment, thinking they were leaving a very empty room…

…

* * *

 **A/N: And thus concludes the first "act" of this story. Thank you so much for reading if you've gotten this far, hopefully you'll stick around for the rest :)**

 **I would however like to make one request, from writer to reader; I would love to get some feedback/constructive criticism on the action sequences and tense scenes of the last three chapters, because that's just the start of the action in this story and I just wrote what I imagined in my head, basically. So I would quite like to get feedback on how it appears in _your_ head as the reader while you're reading it. It will be much appreciated, and help me make the later chapters even better :)**

 **As for those wondering or asking, don't worry, Judy will be making appearances in the story, but she won't have a major role till later… but I still gotta write that bit yet. Which brings me to my next note. Unfortunately, the next update won't be for another two weeks (4th October) in order to give me time to catch up on writing… because (annoyingly) real world stuff is getting in the way right now. Again, thanks so much for reading, and following/favouriting or reviewing if you have, and if you have any questions, please just ask ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _ **'Survivors'**_

* * *

"Easy does it…" Grizzoli said.

Delgato groaned as the Lion brought him down from Mchorn's back, placing him carefully on the cold floor.

The three of them had followed the (surprisingly large) secret tunnel from the pub basement. It was an incredibly dark tunnel which looked remarkably well excavated for what was most likely a smugglers passage. Although it was only partially dug, parts of the tunnel were made up of the old and unused (as half of them were collapsed) subway maintenance tunnels. It seemed to them that they were walking through an underground labyrinth, except for the fact there was only one way to go. As Nick told them to follow the tunnel, that's exactly what they did; it eventually ended after a good few hundred yards, and a slow walk in the dark taking them roughly ten minutes, coming to a heavy steel door (which Mchorn opened easily) opening out into another basement room.

This basement was even larger; large enough to have two obscure glazed windows poking just above the ground outside. The sheer brightness of the sun outside was enough to light up this basement, even though the windows where more like small horizontal slits. The room was empty, with a bare (and slightly unlevelled) concrete floor and only a few unfilled steel shelves bolted to the concrete walls. There was a single steel door the other side of the room, leading to whatever lay awaiting outside…

"I'll check the place out," Mchorn announced.

Grizzoli only nodded, allowing the Rhino to retrieve his machine gun which he held firm and high as he went over to the other steel door.

It was unlocked.

Mchorn pulled it forcefully, deciding to decrease his usual vigour as the hinges screeched worse than claws scratching a chalk board. It was enough to make the three mammals in the room cringe from the noise, but Mchorn kept his M240 raised and walked through the door.

Grizzoli now took his paws down from his ears after the screech, taking in the moments silence to use his sensitive hearing to check if he could hear footsteps or shouting from outside their building.

He waited for a minute, but heard nothing...

Only more silence.

In the short break, he unstrapped his helmet, taking off the bowl of Kevlar and placing it quietly on the floor. He looked over to Delgato on the ground and went to finish attending the Tiger's wound.

Delgato was still only half conscious, but at least now his ear had stopped bleeding, and his breathing was steady; thankfully he hadn't gone into shock. The rifle bullets that had hit him definitely made their mark: large dents had been made in his body armour from the two rounds that had hit his chest, and the third shot that had hit his ear had almost torn his whole ear off. His fur was matted with blood from the earlier bleeding, now drying into his fur. Grizzoli looked at it with a slight cringe… He wouldn't be surprised if Delgato was now deaf in that ear.

As well as being their squad leader, Grizzoli had also brought it upon himself to be their medic too; he knew from experience what had to be done… He unhooked his steel water bottle from his gear and twisted the cap off, pouring some the surprisingly still cool water on Delgato's torn ear.

The Tiger winced as the liquid touched it, but made only made a silent grunt. Grizzoli continued, emptying a small portion of his canteen, in a hope to thoroughly clean his friend's wound, and wipe away what blood he could with the leftover blood-soaked bandage from earlier.

Afterwards, Grizzoli dipped into the medkit, and pulled out a small antiseptic aerosol can. The can was nicknamed ' _the stinger_ ' simply because once the spray touched the wound it was applied to… it stung like hell, and anyone who said it didn't was a blatant liar.

But it was necessary to prevent any infection.

Delgato cringed harder and made a low, angry growl as the spray contacted his wound, quickly muffled as Grizzoli placed his paw over the Tiger's muzzle to prevent any further noise.

Once done with, Grizzoli placed the can back in the medkit, and pulled out a small roll of clean bandages. He applied the dressing carefully, wrapping the bandage tightly around Delgato's head. It wasn't pretty, or elegant, but it would do for now until Delgato could get some proper medical treatment.

After Grizzoli had finished, Delgato managed to mutter a few words through his calmer breathing;

"How bad is it?"

There was a short pause as the Lion took a deep breath.

"Let's just say, I think you're lucky to still have an ear…" Grizzoli answered, packing up the medkit; "You know how many times I've said you should wear a helmet-"

"Wouldn't have done sh*t if I was… I got hit in my _ear_ … _not_ protected by a helmet…"

"And you were hit in the chest-"

"Is that why my chest hurts?" Delgato pondered, groaning slightly as he began to lean up from the floor, "I wondered what that was…"

"You should be glad the ZPD invests well into its SWAT gear… Two 5.56 rounds to the chest? I'm surprised you didn't come off worse…"

"Naa, I just cashed in one of my lives for that," Delgato joked, "To be fair, I'm more concerned about my ear…"

That moment the Tiger slowly brought his paw up to the bandage around his head, with his claws out-

"Hey!" Grizzoli chastised, "Don't scratch it-"

"I was just loosening it! Geez…" Delgato mellowed, referring to the bandage, "How am I supposed to concentrate shooting with this super-compressing my head?"

Grizzoli chuckled, but didn't answer.

The Tiger did have a point.

"Just rest for a few minutes, and take a drink," he said calmly, standing from his spot next to the Tiger and un-holstered his carbine.

Delgato only nodded, and shuffled over to lean his back on the wall as Grizzoli walked away to the door Mchorn went through a few minutes before.

"Hey Leonard…" Delgato called to him, quickly grabbing the Lion's attention. The Tiger continued with a hearty smile; "You got helmet mane…"

They both chuckled, Grizzoli immediately shaking his head and bringing his free paw up to ruffle his partially shaved lion's mane to make it look a bit less flattened as he walked away.

* * *

Grizzoli exited the door to find Mchorn, checking his corners as he left the room, he found himself in a much darker corridor. It was a dead end to the left, so he turned right, following the bare hallway. It turned to the left next, most likely leading to more store rooms. He reached the end of the corridor, suddenly hearing some rustling around the corner in the next hallway…

Grizzoli leaned against the wall… It was only training for a moment like this.

The rustling stopped.

He held his rifle firm.

And turned the corner…

Immediately faced with a heavily armoured Rhino holding a huge machinegun;

"Sh*t Leonard…" Mchorn gasped, lowering his MG, "I almost fu*king shot you!"

"Thanks for not…" the Lion acknowledged; "You find anything?"

"The place is clear… I think we're in the basement of some old warehouse, loads of separate storerooms, couple of staircases and a platform lift… this corridor is the only way to the room we came in,"

"Ok, we'll keep to the basement… for now, I think we're in the clear,"

The two paused their conversation as Grizzoli re-holstered his rifle and leaned on the concrete wall with a small groan. Mchorn placed his machinegun down and unclipped his helmet. He took a quick look at the indent left by the .50 calibre bullet that had grazed it with a silent shudder, before hooking the large Kevlar bowl onto a strap of his heavy gear.

"How's Seb?" Mchorn asked, breaking the silence.

"He's conscious, and his old self…" Grizzoli exhaled loudly, "… I'm more worried about Fang and Nick at the moment,"

"I'm still curious as to how Nick knew about that hidden passage…"

"Well I'm sure he'll explain when he and Fang get here-"

"You mean _if_ they get here…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Face it Leonard… Nick's a rookie, and Fang is… Fang. He's far too cocky for his own good," Mchorn uttered, "There's a chance they're dead already… we'll have to go on-"

"Richard…" Grizzoli interrupted, "I've never lost a member of my squad before… and I don't intend to start today,"

Mchorn was silent for a moment, remembering how determined Grizzoli always was to make sure his squad stayed alive. His comment clearly hit a sore note, he apologised;

"I'm sorry,"

"S'alright…" Grizzoli responded.

There was a longer pause between them before Mchorn broke it;

"So what do we do? … Now our team's separated…"

Grizzoli hesitated before he answered; "I'm sure Nick knows that tunnel would take us here… if they're alive, they'll find us…" he paused for a short while, looking at his watch, "… I'll give them five minutes… if they aren't here by then, I'm goin to go find them…"

…

* * *

…

They still made no sound.

…

No sound at all.

…

Even the dust of the abandoned and ransacked apartment, rustling in the breeze coming from the broken windows made more noise than the Fox and the Wolf did, still hiding in the secret timber panelled room.

It had been a few minutes since the wolf pack had left, and they hadn't appeared to have come back. Nick and Fang decided they could breathe normally again after what had to have been the tensest moment of both of their lives.

Fang had now let Nick go so the Fox could apply pressure to his wounded cheek. It had finally stopped bleeding, but had bled quite a large amount due to the sharpness of the machete blade; a nasty gash had been made that would most likely scar once it healed.

"You think they're gone?" Fang asked quietly, "It's been nearly five minutes…"

Nick didn't say anything… he only nodded.

He leaned forward, moving down onto all fours as he reached to push the secret door open. It was wedged tightly, but with enough pressure, it moved free. Fang also leaned forward, enough so he could just about unsheathe his shotgun from his back.

Just in case.

Nick pushed the small door open, squinting as the light from the outside immediately illuminated the darkened hidey-hole, showing how much airborne dust lingered inside.

Nick was in stealth mode, staying on all fours as he exited the secret room. He kept low, and silent… crawling out from the secret door into the now ransacked apartment. He took particular attention to his senses.

The lavender smell remained as he sniffed, but that was all there was. There was no scent or sign of any other wolves, and the only slightest noise was being made by the sneaking Fox. Nick decided to stand up as he finally came to the realisation that he and Fang were alone, suddenly feeling a little dizzy as he reached his two feet.

The Wolf came out too, also low, but still on two feet rather than four as he held his shotgun up.

"Clear?" Fang asked.

"I think so…"

But the Wolf didn't lower his weapon. He walked slowly over to the hole left by the blasted door to check the hallway, dodging as many of the wooden splinters on the floor as he could. A quick peek, sniff and listen from the open doorway announced that he and Nick truly were in the clear.

He turned back to look at the Fox; one arm leaning on the arm of the dusty old sofa, his head facing down, the other paw holding his forehead.

"At least your idea worked…" Fang announced,

"I think my cheek would disagree with that statement," Nick grumbled.

"You ok?"

"Don't think I've ever bled this much before…" Nick looked up, the blood stain from his left cheek quite prominent in his ruffled and dirty fur, "… I feel woozy…"

"Take a drink from your canteen… you need to stay hydrated,"

Nick nodded with little effort in the motion as he grasped his steel flask, unscrewing the top to take a small sip of the cool liquid. That sip quickly changed to a few gulps:

Water had never tasted sweeter…

So sweet in fact, Nick drank most of his bottle, tipping some more of it onto his paw to wash his blood stained fur and cut cheek. He dared not use any extra lest he wanted to drink some more later. He was just trying to clip his flask back on when Fang suddenly broke the silence;

"Hey Nick," he waited till the Fox looked at him; "… how did you even know about that secret room?"

Nick hesitated; "I said to you all earlier I used to live here…" Nick answered, then gestured around the room.

"This was _your_ apartment?"

"It was actually one I shared with a friend for a couple of years… till the quarantine of course,"

Fang looked around the place;

"Hmmm… it's… certainly got character…"

"You don't have to sugar-coat it Fang…" Nick muttered, finally clipping his flask back in place, "… the place is a dump,"

"Well… you said it not me," Fang chuckled.

"Still not the worst place I ever had a night's sleep though…" Nick made a chirpy huff, wiping his forehead; "You not having drink?"

"I would, but… errr…" Fang lifted his flask up to show him…

It had a fairly large bullet hole close to the bottom, the steel torn open from the hole

"Hmm…" Nick mused, "I didn't know bullets could get thirsty?"

Fang laughed; "They do… they just prefer something a bit… _redder_ … But on this occasion I guess…"

"You tried the taps? There might still be water-"

"I already checked… not a drop," Fang cut in, "I'm fine though, don't worry-"

Nick didn't take any notice of the latter; he unclipped his flask again;

"Here,"

And tossed it to Fang.

The Wolf caught it easily.

"You'll find it's quite sweet for these situations… not fruity sweet… but enough," Nick smiled.

"Cheers mate,"

Fang only took a small swig before he handed it back… Nick was indeed right. It was sweet-

A sudden crash outside on the street made the two canids prick their ears high. Nick didn't move, as Fang had already rushed to the edge of the window, glancing from the frame through the broken glazing and clutching his shotgun tightly.

He saw the wolf pack… two of them at least. They had just smashed through the window of another abandoned shop further down the street.

"We need to move… they're still searching for us," Fang motioned, looking at Nick, "How's your ammo?"

"Realised I used my last mag for my SMG," Nick answered, tossing his empty MP5 aside on the sofa, kicking up dust as it landed, "… but I still got a full stock for my sidearm… far better shot with it anyway… You?"

"Enough…"Fang answered, gesturing to his bandolier full of shotgun cartridges, "… for my shotgun that is… I left my rifle in that bar fire,"

"So… outnumbered, and outgunned," Nick half chuckled, "Sounds like the typical plot to an action movie…"

"Errhmm…" Fang joined his comrade's half chuckle; "We'll have to do this quietly to conserve ammo, and find the others… I assume you know where they are?"

"They'll be in a warehouse basement a couple of blocks away,"

"Ok… lead the way…" the Wolf said as he cocked his shotgun; "… I got your back…"

…

* * *

Sitting here.

Just sitting…

Here.

It was infuriating.

Infuriating just sitting here waiting to be taken to hospital in the back of an ambulance was not how Judy had intended to spend this day… meanwhile her friends and colleagues risked their lives to bring in this master criminal…

She was quite annoyed.

Annoyed at herself for getting shot.

Like an idiot…

It didn't even hurt _that_ much!

…

Well, that was a blatant lie to herself. It did hurt… _a lot_.

The bullet had gone straight through her leg, but the doctor that had looked her over had cleaned the wound, disinfected it and dressed it in a tightly wrapped bandage… and given her some painkillers, so she was already healing.

So why was she sitting here?

Because the doctor had also said that any slight pressure to the wound would cause her serious pain and she should stay off her leg until it had healed…

But she couldn't just sit here and do nothing.

Especially when she had heard everything going on outside. She had heard distant explosions and repetitive far off gunfire with her sensitive hearing. Lord knows what was going on…

No.

Judy couldn't just sit here… and do nothing… Knowing Nick was out there in that mess and most likely getting shot at.

They had both been shot at before.

When it had come to their police work the two were an inseparable and highly effective team. Every time they had been in a firefight before they had been together and watched out for each other.

Judy always had his back… and Nick always had hers.

Two small mammals,

A Fox and a Bunny…

Two friends…

Against the world.

So Judy was worried that Nick was on his own this time… even though she knew he was with the rest of the SWAT Team and she knew Nick was perfectly capable of handling himself… and defending himself… and taking down criminals by himself. Heck, they had sparred together during their SWAT training so Judy knew Nick was a damn good shot and could throw a good punch…

She smirked.

She always threw them back harder...

"UrrrghhHHH!"

All this thought about Nick was just too much… sitting here with a hole in her leg and her feet dangling from the edge of a medical stretcher that was almost comically too big for her, unable to help him, was just unbearable.

Judy decided.

She had to do _something_.

Even finding out how the mission was progressing would be enough to calm her thoughts (or so she thought).

Judy swung herself round as she climbed down from the stretcher, placing her weight on her good left leg. She stood firm on _that_ leg; she then attempted to put some weight on her injured right leg…

She immediately regretted it.

"AARRRHHH!"

Judy gasped with shock when the pain hit her as if she was shot a second time, and collapsed in the ambulance, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

She hated this.

Judy breathed heavily, and wiped a tear from her eye as she squinted for a second trying to hide the pain.

"I can do this…" She muttered through heavy breaths, "Just a… just a minor setback is all…"

She wouldn't give up.

Judy _never_ gave up.

She pulled herself back up to lean off the stretcher, but as she looked up she noticed there was a set of crutches in the back of the ambulance.

"Oh…" She mused, "… that's handy,"

The crutch was adjustable, but even in its shortest configuration the metallic and plastic stick was taller than her.

When was there a Bunny sized crutch when she needed it?

Judy huffed… it would have to do. Plus, she was good at improvising.

Picking only one of them, she positioned it so most of her weight would go to the crutch when she needed to make a right step. The climb out the back of the ambulance was probably the most difficult exit to a vehicle she had ever had to make in her life, but she managed it well enough... escaping into the bustle outside.

She looked around at the scene, unable to see the Confinement Zone due to the position of the fleet of ambulances. She saw the SWAT Mobile Command Centre and thought… If she wanted to do something to help, that's where she would have to go first…

Judy set off, limping along the ground with her oversized crutch at a brisk pace… her smaller size drawing very little attention to herself…

* * *

…

Like a pair of ghosts, one of red and one of white, the Fox and the Wolf made no noise as they continued on their mission.

Their own primal hunting senses were heightened right now. Nick and Fang used all the three necessary ones; sight, smell and hearing, checking the area was clear before moving on. They exited the apartments turning to the left down the rest of the backstreet, skulking as they went.

They remembered their training well also. Nick was in front, his sidearm held firmly in his two paws, checking every corner before moving forward, Fang was behind him, his shotgun currently lowered, but quickly raised whenever he heard something odd. The Wolf was consistently glancing back behind them to see if they were being followed; a necessary precaution if those wolves found their scent again.

Dust and age old strewn garbage blew lightly in the cool breeze of the day, illuminated by the glorious sunshine. The silence of the ghost town was almost tranquil if it wasn't for their situation; the lingering threat of death around every corner was still quite probable. The silence was eerie and nerve-racking… hardly changing from earlier.

As the two canids journeyed onwards, Nick had only just realised he'd left his helmet behind… though he also realised how much easier it was to see and move without the lumbering Kevlar bowl strapped to his head that he was wearing previously; he could actually prick his ears up high and listen properly. Nick reckoned Fang as well was feeling the same without his own helmet on… the White Wolf's ears were pointed high too… twitching at the slightest noise.

They continued down the empty backstreet, coming to the head of a T junction of a short cutaway road in between two main ones.

"Which way?" Fang asked.

Nick had to think a moment.

He looked around.

He knew which way it was but he had to think strategically. Staying unseen was more important than getting there quick, even if they only had two blocks to go…

Or was it three?

Nick suddenly started to doubt his memory… maybe the place had changed? … It had been years since-

"Nick?-"

Fang was waiting for an answer…

"This way," Nick spoke, turning left at the junction.

They kept to the left of the pavement, hugging the bare brick wall at the end. The small thoroughfare opened to another much wider road, considerably more devoid of parked or abandoned cars than the previous roads they had been on.

They rounded the corner… but after last time, Nick checked thoroughly…

He couldn't see the Church tower, which meant the sniper couldn't see them.

But as he did examine the road, what he did notice was a small column of smoke in the opposite direction to the church. He thought what it could be but came to no rational conclusion in the second. He asked randomly;

"What's that smoke?"

Fang looked out at the road too, quickly noticing the small smoke plume. He only shrugged in response.

It obviously wasn't the bar fire from earlier, as that was making a much larger column of smoke from two blocks behind them. It was obviously still burning too, as the sky started to darken with the black carbon cloud it was making.

Intrigued by this new smaller fire… or whatever it was, they decided to investigate.

The smoke came from the middle of the huge courtyard of another apartment complex, one that was a far more modern than from earlier. Nick and Fang crossed the road to an alleyway that led to the courtyard, stopping before they reached the end.

The Wolf peeked from behind the brick wall.

What he saw was undisputable; lying in the centre of the square, the partially burnt out remains of a helicopter, cladded in black and white, with three prominent initials on its side:

 _ZPD_

"Sh*t…" Fang muttered, "It's the helicopter that got shot down,"

Nick glanced at the wreckage;

"You mean… what's left of it?"

Fang looked around the corner longer this time to check the coast was clear.

"I'm gonna check it out-"

Nick hesitated first; "Why?" He questioned, quickly deciding to remind the Wolf; "… Fang, we don't have time for detours… we have to find the others…"

"We have to look for survivors-"

"Are you serious?-" Nick argued, expecting some more of an explanation rather than what the Wolf replied with next;

"Yes."

Fang turned away to leave.

"Hey…" Nick pulled him back, "You saw as well as I and everyone else did… _no-one_ could've survived that,"

"I have to Nick…"

"Why!?"

Fang breathed out slowly, speaking in a soft and worried tone; "Because there was someone I knew on that chopper…"

Nick understood now… it was clear in both his voice and his expression; whoever it was on that doomed aircraft was someone Fang cared about very much... the Wolf had to know.

Nick immediately compromised;

"Ok then… let's go…"

* * *

It was surprisingly still intact after the missile's impact. The helicopter had crashed leaning partially to its left side, its tail snapped and dangling flaccidly behind it. Parts of broken metal and still burning wreckage had littered the area, as well as torn up concrete pavers and dead grass from where the chopper had crashed. It was facing the canids as they reached it.

Nick kept watch as Fang holstered his shotgun and went round to the side of downed helicopter. The door this side was partially open; he pulled the rest of it with a heavy tug.

Fang placed one step in to examine the wreckage, but before he could notice anything-

He tensed up…

…

As the muzzle of a handgun was put to the back of his head.

An irate female voice spoke out;

"You better be wearing a gold badge, or I'm gonna _blow_ your _fu*king_ brains out…"

Fang slowly raised his paws to show he was unarmed.

"Easy, ok, easy… I'm a cop,"

"Turn around, show me your badge,"

Fang could tell the voice was distressed. But in the situation, he wasn't worried; he was relieved.

Because he recognised that voice…

He turned around slowly, but he didn't fully need to before he saw the wielder of the pistol. The female voice belonged to a Snow Leopard, who spoke almost in awe when she saw the face of the White Wolf;

"John?"

"Catherine…" Fang smiled.

"Oh, thank god…"

The Snow Leopard holstered her pistol and leaned up to hug the Wolf, tightly… overjoyed to see an old friend. There was a few moments quiet as the two stayed embraced, until Catherine spoke in a silent sob.

"I didn't think anyone was coming…"

"I had to know what happened…" Fang whispered, "I'm so glad you're ok,"

Catherine paused before she spoke next;

"I don't feel ok,"

Fang pulled out of the hug at that moment, speaking directly to the Snow Leopard;

"Are you hurt?"

"No… Just, shock… I think,"

"Ok … C'mon," Fang mustered, beginning to help her up, "I'm getting you out of here…"

"Wait… ah, my leg's stuck…"

The Snow Leopard gestured down to a large and heavy piece of sheared metal from the fuselage that had her leg trapped, surprisingly not cutting into her.

Fang attempted to move it; it was wedged hard but only needed a little more force.

"Nick, gimme a paw!" Fang yelled; the Fox quickly appearing to help; "Help me lift this up,"

When Nick saw the well alive Snow Leopard, (however battered she looked) it was another reminder that he should wane his cynicism. But still in slight disbelief, as he helped Fang free the feline's leg, the words just slipped out;

"I'm surprised anyone survived _that_ ,"

"I am to…" Catherine answered as she pulled her leg free, knowing of course to what the Fox was referring to, "… When the missile hit, I was on the opposite side of the cabin… the force would have threw me out the chopper if the door wasn't closed at the time," She paused for a moment, continuing heavyheartedly; "I think everyone else's bodies protected me from the explosion… it killed everyone in the cabin instantly, except the pilot… he died when we crashed," She gestured to the other four dead mammals in the helicopter.

Nick and Fang glanced at the bodies, grimacing and looking away quickly afterwards… yet more of their colleagues just doing their job who had died at the paws of these psychopath criminals-

"Seen as I was trapped, no-one had come to clear the crash and the fuel had all burnt out in mid-air I decided it was best just to stay here," Catherine finally rose to her feet, "Then you guys came along…"

A long pause came when she just realised she didn't know the Fox standing in front of her, yet had just told him the brief details of her rather terrible experience.

"Sorry…" the Snow Leopard paused, deciding to quickly introduce herself to the Fox with an outstretched paw; "Catherine Frost… Detective Catherine Frost,"

"Nick Wilde," the Fox responded, shaking the Snow Leopard's paw.

Fang felt a little context was necessary; "Catherine and I met at the academy, we did our police training together and we've been friends ever since… and she's also been our overwatch for other SWAT missions,"

"How come I haven't seen you around before?" Nick asked.

"Because I'm stationed at Precinct 3, in Tundratown," Catherine explained, "Four years ago there was an opening for a Detective's position and it was offered to me… so for now, apart from outside work and the occasional SWAT mission is when John and I get to see each other…"

Nick was taken aback slightly… he wasn't used to Fang being called by his first name, Catherine clearly being one of the few who did. He also had his suspicions as he observed the Wolf and the Leopard's interactions that there was more than friendship between the two of them; but before he could pry further (not that they really had time for it) Catherine continued again;

"… Speaking of, how's the mission going anyway?"

"In short… a clusterfu*k-" Fang answered.

"I'm more inclined to say fubar…" Nick interjected, "… but both work,"

"We got a plan?"

"Not yet…" Fang responded, "… our squad got separated and we're trying to regroup,"

"And might I mention we need to move now," Nick spoke.

"Right…" Fang agreed, he directed to Catherine, "… you ok to walk? - and run?"

"Yea… But I'm not going anywhere without my baby…" Catherine trailed off.

"I'm sorry… _what_!?" Nick exclaimed.

He misunderstood, immediately understanding when Catherine had reached back into the downed helicopter, pulling out an R700 sniper rifle.

"Oh…"

Catherine presented her weapon, as if it was also as much an introduction as her own;

"My baby…"

"Come on," Fang lightly sniggered, "Let's get moving-"

His sentence ended abruptly when a wolf's howl echoed from not far away; Fang's ears perked up high when he heard it.

"Don't you dare!" Nick scorned, knowing how susceptible wolves were to that baser instinct.

But Fang didn't respond, he only looked back the direction from where he and Nick had come, a worried expression on his face.

"No…" he muttered; "MOVE!"

A gunshot echoed from around them… one that on purposefully missed as it ricocheted off the ground into the downed helicopter cabin, forcing the three of them to duck low for cover.

"What is it!?" Nick asked.

"That wolf pack, they've found us!"

That statement became ever truer when in the distance they all heard the words;

"They're over here!"

They looked over to the courtyard entrance alley that Nick and Fang had used earlier. Two of the pursuing wolves appeared, still armed with their assault rifles.

"Oh sh*t…" Fang muttered.

"RUN!" Nick yelled.

He led the way again, Catherine and Fang in tow as gunfire hailed from behind them, the three fleeing mammals making light flinches as they heard another one of the shocking cracks... hoping that bang wasn't the last thing they'd hear. They took a route through the rest of the huge courtyard, using the unkempt foliage and empty raised flower beds next to the paths to cover their escape.

Catherine clearly understood that these wolves were dangerous, and trying to kill them… the gunfire sort of gave that away… but in the midst of their escape, she had to question to get a bit more context;

"Who the hell are these guys!?"

"The pack of wolves who've been trying to kill us for the last twenty minutes!" Fang quite abruptly explained.

"Good… that means I can _shoot_ them…"

Catherine stopped her sprint with a sliding stop, scratching her claws across the concrete of the courtyard, coming to rest by one of the raised flower beds. She raised up her sniper rifle and fired.

The shot landed, gutting one of the wolves straight through the heart, a red paste erupting behind him as the canine slumped to the ground.

Catherine was barely aiming, the kill shot was just lucky as it was only meant to deter their pursuers for a moment... it worked too, as the single wolf left was now ducking for his own cover.

Catherine felt somewhat better when she saw the dead wolf hit the ground…

Vengeance for her own fallen co-workers in the helicopter.

She pulled the bolt of her sniper rifle back, ejecting the expended shell, and pushed it forward to load another, firing again to keep the wolf supressed.

Nick and Fang had also stopped for the moment beside the raised flowerbed;

"How did they find us?" Nick asked.

"They must have picked up our scent- sh*t!" a bullet ricocheting off the ground next to his tail cut his sentence short with a burst of profanity; "... Any ideas?" Fang asked the Fox, "Because I don't think your hide-and-seek tactic is gonna work this time-"

"There's more coming!" Catherine interrupted.

Nick looked around frantically, his eyes falling on the main entrance to the apartment complex behind them, and a quick improvised idea formulated in his head… whether it would actually work was a different story;

"This way!"

They ran, Nick leading again. The brief shootout had stalled the pursuers for a time.

The entrance to the complex was a fairly open lobby, with one large steel staircase that ascended to each floor. The glass walls and doors to outside had been smashed for over a decade so Nick, Fang and Catherine promptly entered the building in a rush.

Instead of going straight through to the street the other side, Nick approached the steel stairs swiftly beginning to climb them with Catherine and Fang behind him.

They reached the first landing; a quick peek over the balustrade showed their pursuers were approaching, five wolves in total. Nick went over to the landing door that led to the apartments, speaking again when he reached it;

"Middle down the hallway there's a steel door to an escape stairwell… we can double back and hopefully lose them-"

He was about to open the door when Fang held him back;

"Wait… we split up," he said assuredly, "I'll draw them off, you two go two more floors up… we'll meet up back outside on the street,"

Catherine gave him a worried look, and began a protest;

"John-"

"Just go!"

It didn't take much convincing, because every second they spent talking was a second their pursuers were gaining…

Nick and Catherine ascended the rest of the stairs, leaving Fang on the first floor while they climbed to the third, quickly journeying through the landing door to enter the apartments.

Fang waited until he was sure the pack of wolves had seen him. A few bullets flying his direction told him he definitely had their attention. When they were only a short distance from the entrance was when he decided to escape through the door on his floor.

* * *

The Red Wolf led her pack now… even more angered after losing another of her brethren. She had noticed the SWAT Team had picked up another, a survivor from the helicopter crash…

Not to be a survivor for much longer if she had anything to do with it. Rosa Marconi would kill that White Wolf, Fox and Snow Leopard if it was the last thing she did.

She saw them enter the apartment complex, revealing they had climbed the first set of stairs when they had peeked over the banister; Rosa fired a few rounds from her ACR when she got a little closer.

No gunfire came back in return so she and her pack continued into the building, and also climbed the stairs, but she stopped dead still as she reached the landing, taking in a few quick sniffs.

Her enhanced sense of smell didn't lie to her.

The SWAT Team had split up, the Wolf had gone through the door, the Fox and Snow Leopard had ascended the stairs… Marconi immediately commanded to her pack;

"Follow the other two…" She growled, pointing up the stairs, "…The Wolf is _mine_ …"

…

* * *

The White Wolf charged down the hallway as quick as his legs could carry him. The building still had electricity, as when Fang entered the hallway a motion sensor had triggered the lights, revealing the darkened corridor. It was long and narrow with a tiled floor, with many wooden apartment doors lined up evenly on the side walls, as well as several wall lamp fixtures. With years of neglect however, the place was covered in dust, the tiled floor cracked, and the only the main fluorescent tube lighting on the ceiling had turned on.

Fang didn't take in much of the surrounding… there wasn't much to look at, or any time to look at it.

He knew what he was looking for, a single steel door that would lead to his momentary salvation.

He found the door, halfway down the hall, a single window through showed a bare concrete staircase.

Fang placed his paw on the handle, and pushed hard… but it didn't budge.

The door was locked…

* * *

The Fox and the Snow Leopard charged down the hallway as quick as their legs could carry them.

Nick knew what he was looking for, a single steel door halfway down the hall. They both found it with ease, the door standing apart from the rest of the old wood apartment entrances.

Nick placed his paw on the handle, and pushed hard… but it didn't budge.

The door was locked…

"Oh no," Nick stuttered, "No, NO!"

In the moment he immediately blamed himself… his plan foiled by a simple security measure of a locked door, had now unknowingly cornered all three of them…

* * *

Fang backed away from the exit, and was about to reach and draw his shotgun… just as the door the other end of the hallway burst open… a single Red She-Wolf storming through, and a rifle raised ready to fire…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _ **'Desperate Measures'**_

* * *

The Red Wolf and the White Wolf stared at each other from opposite ends of the hall. The only difference, she had her rifle up, and he had his paws up. Fang could easily draw his shotgun… but he knew she would fire the moment he made a move for it. Instead, intrigued by the fact she did have him at gunpoint, and hadn't shot him, he decided to challenge her;

"Go on then… shoot me… get it over with!"

It was statement that could go either way. He was expecting to hear a bang, but there was none. He stayed standing, and watched the Red Wolf intently.

The Red Wolf did nothing.

The Red Wolf said nothing.

After a moment, she only shook her head slowly, indicating 'No'.

It was only after then when she spoke;

"The shotgun… lose it…"

"Or what!?"

That's when the bang came.

The Red Wolf moved her weapon ever slightly to the left and fired… the supersonic bullet passing Fang by an inch.

"The next one won't miss…"

Fang reluctantly obeyed, and hated the fact that his opposition was clearly loving this when he saw the smile breaking on her muzzle. He lifted his right arm to grab his shotgun from his back sheath-

"SLOWLY!" The Red-Wolf shouted.

Slowly, Fang unsheathed the weapon, holding it from the stock. He noticed the Red-Wolf tapped her weapon barrel downwards, indicating she wanted him to throw it towards her.

Fang threw the shotgun in front of him, landing a sizeable distance between the two wolves. He had expected that would be it… But Marconi wasn't finished.

"… And the nightstick…"

Fang again, reluctantly obeyed, grasping his nightstick from his hip and throwing it down the corridor to join his shotgun.

"… And the knife…"

Fang again, reluctantly obeyed, lightly clutching the handle of his standard issue SWAT knife, unsheathing it, and also throwing it in front of him to join his shotgun and nightstick.

With the exception of his own teeth and claws, the White Wolf was now completely disarmed.

"Good boy," the Red-Wolf said mockingly.

Fang growled, even considering diving forward to pick his weapons back up… even though the Red-Wolf would fill him with bloody holes before he could get close.

She still aimed her assault rifle at him.

Slowly she began to advance, tipping her rifle upwards, indicating for Fang to move backwards. He made only small rearward steps. The Red-Wolf advanced until she reached Fang's weapons. She placed her foot on them, and kicked them backwards behind her; the shotgun first, then the nightstick, then the knife.

She still wasn't finished.

The silence between them and every action of the opposing She-Wolf just made Fang more irritable, wondering what twisted game she had an intention of playing-

"You may not think it…" Marconi broke the silence, as she lowered her rifle, "But I don't like using these things…" she pulled the mag release, the still mostly full magazine dropping from the weapon; she kicked it behind her, to join the SWAT Officer's weapons.

"… Simply point and pull a trigger…" She continued, now pulling the charging handle of her ACR, the one round left in the chamber expelled to hit the tiled floor, "…takes away the rush of the hunt you know… its lazy… like ordering a takeout,"

Now she dropped her own firearm to the floor, and kicked it behind her. Fang only continued to watch.

"I don't know about you…" She continued, now unsheathing her machete, "… but I don't need any weapons to kill…" she tossed the blade behind her, "…I don't even need my own teeth, or claws…" she raised her arms, "…All I need are these…" she indicated to her empty paws, "This is the pulse… this is _real_ fighting… this is the thing _I_ do…"

And so did he…

Fang knew what was coming, as now both he and the She-Wolf were completely unarmed.

"I'm gonna give you a fighting chance…"

Now feeling somewhat a bit more encouraged for the following brawl, Fang spoke;

"Well then… Let's dance, _Bitch_ …"

Marconi growled…

She _hated_ that word…

Every female canid hated _that_ word.

The two wolves stood there, paws raised and ready to fight, in a seemingly unending standoff before a paw-to-paw fight to the death…

…

* * *

Even though it was definitely locked, Nick still tried desperately to push the steel door to the stairwell open, Catherine even tried. But it was futile, and before they could blow it open with their weapons, the pursuing wolves appeared at the other end of the hallway, with a violent burst through the door.

The first two raised their rifles, but were quickly stopped from firing when the largest of the four wolves pushed them aside and gently pushed their weapons down, a conceited smile breaking his muzzle.

Nick and Catherine observed this, and turned to face the four canids, noticing them slowly disarming themselves of their firearms.

The ensuing melee was inevitable… if they both wanted to live… they would have to fight their way out…

"Nick, tell me… how capable are you at paw-to-paw combat?"

"Capable, _is_ the word to call it," Nick answered, a hint of anxiety in his voice, "you?"

"Same… because there _is_ a reason I became a sniper…"

Nick cursed under his breath; the same mild profanity of his partner which he had come to use himself; "…sweet cheese and crackers…"

Even Catherine standing next to him didn't hear that.

"Two each?" She asked.

"By all means… take three," Nick (half) joked.

"Fu*k off…"

They both lightly chuckled at the short spat of banter, after which, Nick affirmed the on-the-spot plan.

"Two each."

Catherine nodded.

The four wolves down the hall drew their machetes.

Nick drew his nightstick.

Catherine drew her nightstick.

The wolves growled ferociously and bared their teeth to intimidate, as they prepared to attack the Fox and the Snow Leopard.

Nick also growled, far less intimidating than the wolves growl but still impressive for a fox. Catherine's own snarl and feline hissing evened out the verbal brawl.

The small encounter of hissing, snarling and growling only lasted a few seconds before both sides put their energy to their legs, and charged down the hallway, coming to meet the opposition in the centre…

* * *

Nick ran fearlessly into the fray, even though every instinct of his was telling him to run the opposite direction…. He persevered.

A strategic slip made him slide through the legs of the first wolf, allowing Catherine to engage him.

Nick came through the other side, twisting to his side to perform a barrel roll on the tiled floor, the second wolf jumped over him to also attack the Snow Leopard, the other two wolves now taking on the smaller Fox.

Nick heard a growl from one of the wolves… quickly bringing up his nightstick to block a downwards attack from a huge machete blade. Nick recoiled from the impact… being at least half the size of the other canine and half the strength.

But a swift blow to any mammal's stomach would wind them… that's what Nick did next, lifting his legs to kick the wolf backwards. His momentum allowed to pull himself up from the floor, standing the face the two larger canines.

In most situations, Nick would usually do his upmost to talk his way out of a fight, especially one against a larger mammal, let alone two… but it was very clear no amount of words on earth would get him out of this. When it came to it, Nick's tactic in fighting usually involved dodging as many blows as possible, and landing his own where they counted most… as did most smaller mammals when faced with a larger opponent… easy in practice, not so much in reality…

Nick didn't move, he waited till the wolves attacked first… he barely had to wait a second.

The first wolf lunged forward, his machete pointed towards the Fox. Nick moved to the side, barely dodging the blade. He brought his truncheon up to smack the wolf's arm away, opening up the larger canine for an attack.

Nick brought his balled up left paw to the wolf's side, landing a good strong punch… but it only made the wolf angry. Nick was promptly knocked backwards as the wolf's knee hit his chest.

The Fox fell rearward, with enough force that he summersaulted. Nick scowled at the fact the wolf behind the one who had kicked him just laughed in mockery.

No more holding back…

This was do or die.

Nick charged forward, ducking to dodge a swing of the wolf's machete, catching the canine off guard when the Fox rolled sideways, and swung his baton as he did… Nick landed several quick and sharp blows to the wolf's left leg, enough to make him well off-balance.

But Nick wasn't finished.

He leaped up the wolf, using the canine's shoulder to climb on his back, his tail raised up to balance him. He caught the wolf with his nightstick, holding it with two paws across the canine's neck.

The second wolf came to attack from behind.

Nick heard, and twisted his weight round to force the wolf he had strangled to turn on the spot and face the attacker.

Nick dropped his nightstick, releasing the first wolf and instantly climbed further up, now standing on the wolf's shoulders. Simultaneously, Nick used both his feet to do two different jobs… his right foot kicked the first wolf in the back of the head, whilst his left propelled himself from the wolf's shoulder. Nick launched himself into the air to get an aerial attack on the unsuspecting second wolf, now bringing both his legs to kick the other canine right in the face.

The two wolves hit the floor hard, the first directly on his muzzle… a sickening crack indicating an instant broken nose, and the second fell over backwards. Meanwhile Nick fell to the floor, landing with an elegant roll, coming to a crouched and ready position.

The second wolf twisted over on all fours and snarled at the Fox.

Nick just smirked in response.

The wolf raised from the ground, his claws scraping the floor as he lifted his paws. He charged at the Fox, making several swinging punches and kicks that landed on thin air as the smaller canid dodged every one of them.

Nick saw several openings, and speedily swung and jabbed his own punches, landing perfectly to deter the attacker.

But the wolf only growled in annoyance, getting sick and tired of the Fox's evasion.

As Nick brought a balled up paw to the wolf's thigh, the larger canid saw an opening. He let the Fox hit him, but the vulpine had put too much weight in his punch… the Wolf bent over, and rather cruelly pulled the Fox up from his tail.

Nick gasped as the wolf's claws dug in, tearing some strands of his fur, but soon he was in deeper trouble as the wolf had lifted him above his head, and threw the Fox against the hallway wall, hitting his back on and breaking one of the wall lamps spaced down the hallway.

Nick was cringing in pain from the impact as he lay on the tiled floor. He only just had time to suppress it when the wolf brought his now retrieved machete to stab him.

Nick rolled over as the blade hit the floor, sharp enough and with enough force to crack the tile the point landed on.

The Fox manged to give a fairly useless kick to the wolf's leg; the canid barely registered it. Again the wolf yanked the Nick's tail, pulling the Fox down the hallway.

Nick flipped himself over, completely vulnerable, as the wolf's machete blade came downwards again. It clanged onto the tiled floor as Nick shuffled backwards, cowering from the larger canine.

The wolf could see that fear, and raised his machete again, this time to finish the Fox.

He had never been in this situation before, on the cusp of certain and imminent death… not less getting cut in half by a machete... it was definitely not how Nick ever imagined his life ending-

An impulse took him over.

Nick didn't even think about it… it was just an instinct…

Instinct to survive by any means necessary, with any tool to paw.

He had done it plenty of times to not even think of where to grab it or how to aim it.

In an instant Nick pulled out his sidearm from his hip holster, pointing it at the wolf about to cleave him in twain-

And fired thrice…

* * *

The distraction of the sliding Fox through first wolf's legs, allowed Catherine to easily dodge the canine's swinging machete; she brought her nightstick to block the over slung attack, catching the wolf off-guard and instantly jabbing with her left paw into his ribs once and again in his armpit, forcing the wolf to cringe and drop the large knife.

When the blade hit the floor, Catherine kicked it backwards far down the hallway.

The wincing wolf attempted to grab her by the back of the neck.

That didn't last long.

Catherine leaned forward, forcing her right arm behind the wolf's back, her baton giving her more leverage, and she moved her left arm to his thigh. With an impressive feat of strength, the Snow Leopard flipped the wolf over her back as she twisted round. The wolf overturned head first, coming to rest on the floor with a painful thud on his upper back.

A machete swinging downwards to her back… very closely cutting her tail off, made Catherine jump forward.

A quick swing round and she grabbed the attacking second wolf's head, slamming it against the hallway wall, and pinning him there.

For about a second…

The wolf back kicked with his left leg, forcing the Snow Leopard to free him. Catherine moved sideways, slipping on the old tiled floor to fall… she only just had time to bring her nightstick up to block the wolf's counter attack; he brought his machete downwards, making a loud chink sound when it hit the baton.

Catherine kicked upwards to push the second wolf off her, but she was suddenly constricted round her neck. The first wolf she had knocked to the floor now had her in a head lock and proceeded to strangle her;

"Take her leg!" he shouted to the second wolf, who quickly got in position to cut her leg off.

Catherine wasn't having that.

She used her right leg; kicking the second wolf's closest limb repeatedly, making him fall towards her. Now she used her left leg; kicking the machete from his grasp. Now both her legs, with a full spring, she kicked him in the side of the head.

That gave her enough time. She wriggled from the grasp of the first wolf, using her right paw to find her dropped nightstick. With a swift swing behind her she landed it on the wolf's head.

The gap in the quarrel allowed her to return solidly to her two feet.

She didn't relent now.

The second wolf returned, again welding his machete. Catherine held her nightstick firmly countering and blocking every swift slice and stab of the enemy canine's machete… adrenaline rushing through her.

A break in the wolf's movement gave her a chance to subdue him. When he swung sideways next, she evaded, planting a steady blow on the wolf's paw. He dropped the machete instantly from the impact. As the wolf winced she continued, bringing her baton several times to the canine's legs, weakening his stance. The wolf attempted to grab her with his claws out, but before he could get a hold Catherine pulled back, and lifted her left leg to plant a very strong kick to the wolf's chest…

He flew backwards, bursting through one of the old and rotted apartment doors, breaking through it as he fell to his back.

The first wolf returned, having retrieved his machete to engage the Snow Leopard. Catherine was ill prepared for the canid's first blow… her back still facing him as he swung the machete downwards.

Catherine's SWAT armour took most of the brunt as the machete cut into her back, but her scream quickly became a furious growl as she turned in time to face the wolf, a second swing of his machete came across her front, the sharp blade just grazed her left arm, but it cut deep.

She swung her baton around to the wolf's side, but it was a flurried move, the canid just kicked the weapon away, forcing Catherine to drop it.

The canine's machete came down again to cut her neck, but Catherine backed away just in time, bringing her left paw to push the wolf's lunge round further than intended.

But the wolf countered this move, using his full body to push the Snow Leopard against the door frame, and brought his left elbow backwards into her chest.

Catherine grabbed the back of the wolf's neck just as he punched with his right paw into her stomach, forcing her to cringe and let go.

It gave the wolf enough time to drop his machete, and bring both his paws around to pull the wincing Snow Leopard away from the door frame and throw her against to the opposite wall.

Catherine fell on her side against the wall, the wolf quickly sweeping her leg to make her fall to the floor on her back.

The wolf took the opportunity reclaim his dropped machete, and went to stab the Snow Leopard on the floor, bringing the blade down in a firm stab.

In an instant Catherine brought both her paws up to clamp around the machete, halting it mid stab, the tip of the blade barely an inch from her face. She pulled it down to the side of her head, kicking out the wolf's leg with her own to make him fall next to her. In the frenzied scuffle on the ground, she head butted the wolf in his own face.

That put them both in a light daze, as the two combatants rose from the ground.

Catherine recovered first and punched low to the side of the wolf's knee. He outstretched a clawed paw, grabbing the Snow Leopard's right arm and stabbing his claws into her flesh.

Catherine was filled with so much adrenaline she barely felt it, it just made her angrier. With a growl, she brought her left arm up to strike the wolf's outstretched arm… a sickening crack and wailing howl echoed as the bone broke under the impact.

The wolf staggered backwards in pain, releasing the Snow Leopard.

But Catherine was too enraged to back off… she slammed both her paws to clap the wolf's head, disorientating him instantly…

She tightly grabbed the collar of the wolf's shirt, lifting her knee up to impact his chest twice, hard enough she was sure she heard a rib crack, before pushing him backwards against the wall to slam his head and then jumping backwards to slam him and herself down to the ground…

There was only a short yelp as the two mammals landed…

That's when Catherine noticed she had fallen back through the broken apartment door she had kicked the other wolf through… and the wolf she had grabbed had landed on the broken door… the vertical sharp splintered timber slab had gutted him straight through the neck.

Catherine felt some remorse as she saw the light literally leave the wolf's eyes and could hear the canine gurgle on his own blood, the cerise fluid starting to pool at the base of the door… several of his appendages twitched slightly as he lay there dying painfully with a broken door through his neck-

Three loud gunshots caught her attention.

She quickly rose from the ground making a quick glance outside to see Nick on the floor… his pistol drawn and raised… the barrel smoking.

The wolf wielding a machete, standing before the cowering Fox fell limp, coming to rest on the tiled floor with the addition of two holes and large patches of red on his chest, and another hole in his head.

In the quickest glance she got of the Fox, Catherine knew something was wrong with him.

Nick's eyes were wide in disbelief, his stance frozen solid as if he'd turned to stone; he still held his pistol high even though the wolf he had shot and killed had slumped to the ground seconds before.

Catherine had seen that look before…

She had felt that same feeling before.

But her brief psychological analysis of her small vulpine comrade was cut short when she realised the wolf behind him was approaching and Nick was seemingly unaware of the apparent danger. In an effort to warn him, she screamed his name;

"NICK!"

…

* * *

The first two bullets hit the wolf square in the chest… the third, right between the eyes.

The deafening cracks resonated in Nick's hearing and the sight of the bullets hitting his target, almost appeared in slow-motion. Nick could see the ferocious expression on the wolf's face suddenly change to one of confusion, followed by emptiness when the third bullet hit. It had yanked the canine's head backwards as the bullet tore through his skull… his eyes rolling to the back of his eye-sockets. It was a horrifying sight, but it wasn't until the dead wolf hit the floor backwards when Nick felt it;

The stark realisation hit him instantly.

The guilt.

The shame.

He sat there frozen solid in shock…

…

Nick had just killed someone.

He had never killed anyone before.

The moment was overwhelming… unending. Nick still held his pistol high in disbelief that he _could_ , and _had_ just taken the life of another mammal.

He began to feel panicked in the moment, at just the mere thought-

He didn't even have to think about it beforehand… he just did it…

It was so easy.

So simple.

So quick.

And felt… weird, like it was almost natural…

And it terrified him-

But before he could process the feeling any further… he heard Catherine scream his name;

"NICK!"

It wasn't a scream of help… it was scream of warning.

Nick managed to break free of his trance, looking up from the wolf's corpse just as he was attacked from behind…

He barely had chance to register the attack when his own dropped nightstick collided with the side of his head; it had been the closest weapon available when the other wolf finally rose from the floor… immediately striking the Fox in vengeance of his fallen comrade.

Nick was immediately put in a lightheaded daze, dropping his pistol from his paws as he hit the floor.

A moment later and Nick suddenly realised he was now in the air, the wolf having picked him up from the ground and throwing him into one of the old and rotted apartment doors. He was given enough momentum; the Fox went straight through the wood.

Nick landed with a heavy thud in the dust strewn apartment, lightly resembling the same one from earlier, but taking in the scenery was last on his mind. After a severe cringe of pain that he felt from being thrown through a door, Nick turned over to witness the snarling wolf with the partially crooked and bleeding snout enter the apartment, intent on finishing him off for good…

* * *

Catherine was about to charge out from the apartment to help her fellow Officer until she was yanked backwards from the base of her spine.

The wolf she had previously kicked through the door had pulled her backwards from her long feline tail, making her fall and trip over the already dead wolf.

Catherine fell on her back, and was immediately caught in a tight head lock.

"You're gonna pay for that," the wolf growled, referring to his fallen friend as he tightened his grip around Catherine's throat, "… by the end of today I'm gonna have a coat of _real_ snow leopard fur…"

Catherine strained to struggle free, trying to pry the wolf's arms from her neck but his grip was tight, fuelled by rage of his comrade's demise. She could almost feel the life being squeezed from her, laying there gasping for air as the wolf's grasp grew tighter. She was desperate, and so would do anything to live, even resorting to tearing her claws into the wolf's arm in effort to move him, but he didn't relent from her strangling.

Catherine resorted to something else; she brought her left paw down to find her knife in her leg sheath, pulling it out carefully but as quickly as possible before finding the closest appendage belonging to the wolf…

And plunged the knife in.

The wolf growled loudly in pain when the knife went into his upper leg, unintentionally loosening his grip around the Snow Leopard's neck.

Catherine had her chance, and finally used her full strength in her right arm to escape her suffocation, pulling the wolf's arm away as she rolled to her right. She remained on all fours as she breathed heavily to catch her breath still being lightheaded from the ordeal…

* * *

Nick was still concussed from the blow to his head, shuffling backwards only coating his russet tail in age old dust, as the menacing wolf approached him. He managed to stagger to his feet, suddenly realising how off-balance he was.

He only just had the chance to dodge a low slung punch from the wolf, Nick immediately taking the chance to throw a punch too… directly to the wolf's kneecap. It hurt his own paw as it did the wolf's knee.

As Nick cringed from the impact he felt the wolf's paws grasp him again, throwing him to his left over an old sofa.

The wolf sent the Fox tumbling through the air again, smashing straight into the screen of an old CRT television. Nick only made a small yelp as he fell to the floor after, and a light growl as he staggered to his feet again, noticing the wolf approaching.

He couldn't take much more of this… he could have sworn he'd broken a bone or something, but with so much adrenaline rushing through him he still only partly felt it.

The wolf was approaching him again, growling ferociously. Nick moved the opposite way, finding a partially full, glass ash tray on a side table. He picked it up with a rush, throwing the contents in front of him to block the vision briefly between him and the wolf with the ashen cloud. He then threw the ash tray with a hefty swing at the wolf the other side of the sofa… actually hitting the canid square in his already broken muzzle.

The wolf howled in pain as he brought his paws up to his face.

Nick made a bolt for him, trying to sweep the canid's leg. But the wolf had already recovered, kicking the Fox away as he went for his move.

Nick recoiled from the impact, rolling on the floor until he found his two wobbly feet again.

The wolf proceeded to attack him with several strong but flurried punches.

Nick stepped further and further back as he dodged every punch and kick the wolf threw at him… but he was only backing himself into a corner.

He realised that when he hit a solid wall as he backed away… unprepared for the next hit.

The wolf landed a punch in Nick's chest, immobilising him, and then pushed a paw to the trapped Fox's neck, clamping his thick furred digits around his throat.

Nick began to choke, gasping for air, trying to pry the larger canine's grip from him while his legs repeatedly kicked to get him to back off… This wolf was going to kill him if he didn't do something drastic…

…

Nick knew it was a desperate measure.

And he was in a desperate time.

And desperate times call for desperate measures.

His free paw went to find the single fragmentation grenade he had strapped to his gear…

* * *

Catherine was still catching her breath as she looked over to the wolf that had strangled her. Despite having a knife in his leg, he was already recovering… the canid made it to his feet, and was approaching the Snow Leopard with a threatening scowl on his muzzle.

Catherine waited till the wolf was almost on her when she charged at his stomach, forcing him backwards against the opposite wall.

The Snow leopard had him pinned until the wolf brought his elbow directly to Catherine's spine. It forced her downwards, but it only allowed her to reach the knife still stick in his leg…

As Catherine came to stand, she yanked the knife free from the wound, dragging the serrated edge through the canine's flesh. He yelling from the pain, giving Catherine time to back away, twisting round to stab the blade again into the canine's side and shoulder, in a pair of lighting quick moves.

But it still wasn't enough to stop the canine…

With what also appeared to be his own super strength instinct to survive, he pulled Catherine's arm backwards behind her, further than it was meant to…

Catherine screamed in agony as her shoulder became dislocated, and dropped the knife.

The wolf pushed her forwards, stumbling and pulling them both to the floor as he did.

Catherine was desperate now, especially when the wolf grasped round her ankle, and found the dropped knife…

But before he could bring the blade up to stab her leg, the Snow Leopard ended the fight:

She flipped over, kicking the knife from the wolf's paws, and brought her other leg to the wolf's neck, pinning the canine to the floor with her thigh, and in one swift action un-holstered her P226 pistol…

This time she didn't feel any remorse as she emptied three rounds into the side of the wolf's head with three resounding cracks… blood splattering and staining her face and uniform from the impacts.

It was always just after the kill the remorse was felt, even if this mammal had caused her great pain… killing was never an easy part of the job. But Catherine didn't have the time for remorse. She didn't even have the time to relocate her shoulder. Instead she braved the pain; she could still fire her gun anyway.

The Snow Leopard rose from the ground and charged as fast as she could to help Nick. When she re-entered the hallway the ruckus came from another one of the rooms…

She only just rounded the door frame to appear at the apartment entrance when the Fox shouted to her:

"GET OUT!"

That's when Catherine noticed a live grenade in the room-

* * *

Nick grabbed the single frag grenade from his gear, pulling the pin out with a strong flick of his thumb, but still kept a firm grasp on the safety lever, waiting for the right moment to activate the fuse…

He turned slightly to his left, placing his muzzle within reach of the wolf… and in a frantic move, clamped his sharp predatory teeth into the wolf's arm. That was enough to loosen the canine's grasp, but he still had a hold on the Fox… until Nick used the extra weight of the grenade to punch the wolf in the gut.

When the wolf recoiled from the hit, that's the moment when Nick let go of the explosive ball… lightly tossing it between the larger canine's legs and letting it roll to the centre of the room as the safety lever broke free of the deadly sphere.

Nick knew from training the fuse on a frag grenade was roughly 4 seconds. Right now those 4 seconds would be the difference between life and death.

 _4…_

He had to struggle from the Wolf's grip first, but suddenly his Snow Leopard companion appeared at the door; the quickest two words escaping his lips when he saw her;

"GET OUT!"

 _3…_

Catherine instantly dived sideways, clear of the open doorway… but Nick knew he couldn't make it there in time. His only escape; the window to his left. The wolf had turned his head to see… noticing the grenade. Nick took the opportunity, swiftly drawing his knife with his left paw… and plunged it into the wolf's side, the larger canine finally letting go as he felt the brunt of the blade.

 _2…_

It gave Nick his chance, but he was out of time... He'd only just managed to climb the windowsill and pull the cringing wolf in front of him, using his other arm to shield his face…

 _1-_

Just as the grenade exploded…

* * *

In the heat of the moment, an important fact had escaped Nick's attention as the blast forced him out the window…

They were four storeys up… a long fall for any mammal, especially for one of his size.

The only thing Nick felt at this point in his life, was the sensation of falling.

Forever falling…


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 _ **'Lupus Bellator'**_

* * *

"I'm gonna give you a fighting chance…"

"Well then… Let's dance, _Bitch_ …"

The two wolves stood there, paws raised and ready to fight, in a seemingly unending standoff before a paw-to-paw fight to the death…

* * *

They were both waiting for the other to make the first move, or so it seemed. Fang was expecting an attack from the She-wolf's paws. So he was completely unprepared then, for when the standoff ended when the first _kick_ came.

Fang had barely any time to register it as he was sent staggering backwards as Marconi's foot slammed into his chest. He still stood… with a chuckle. A smart move: Fang knew his opponent had only indicated to her paws earlier to mislead him.

The Red-Wolf attacked again, unnerving and unrelenting.

But Fang was ready this time, swatting her foot away and throwing a punch. The Red Wolf blocked it, flying her own punch into his face, which he too, also blocked.

The two wolves parried for now, throwing punches and making jabs that the other would easily block for the next few seconds.

Rosa was quite impressed that she had actually found another mammal that could match her prowess… however short the fight may last. Fang was trying his best to counter, block or just endure the She-Wolf's relentless bombardment of balled up paws and jabbing feet. He'd never had to fight another mammal with such skill before.

Tired of the parrying, the Red Wolf decided to up the game. Rosa planted another kick that gave her enough room between her and her opponent. She crouched down, getting enough spring in her legs as she launched herself at Fang, trying to slam down the top of his head.

Fang moved backwards to counter, blocking the She-Wolf's downwards punch, but he wasn't quick enough for what came next.

Rosa landed, swiftly kicking to knock the White Wolf off balance. She found her mark.

Her right leg went straight into Fang's left, forcing him downwards with a flinch. He had barely any time to counter as the Red-Wolf's knee came straight into his snout, a low punch to the right side of his head, and then a knee to his chest.

Fang was sent backwards, rolling once down the hallway.

Now he was angry.

Fang made a quiet growl as he twisted himself around using his tail to balance him, and launched from his position on the ground. Marconi met him halfway expecting some sort of punch or kick, but as she brought a punch to him, it landed on empty air... and she realised her mistake…

Fang charged into her, colliding heavily with her stomach; his momentum started travelling them down the hallway. The partially winded Red Wolf proceeded to escape the White Wolf's grasp, using her elbows to jab hard into his upper back.

Fang couldn't endure the jabs for very long, even through his SWAT gear he could feel the tips of the she-wolf's elbows dig into his back… but Fang's grip would not yield, so Marconi decided the opposite, and slipped on purposely…

It pulled Fang head over heels, landing him face up on the tiled floor, and vulnerable.

Rosa brought a punch to his neck that would most likely finish him by crushing his windpipe, but instead she cringed as her balled up paw hit the solid floor, cracking the tile it landed on.

Fang had spun around on the ground, again using his tail as a counterbalance again so he moved faster, bringing a swift kick to the side of the Red-wolf's head.

It was hard kick too, and it left her slightly disoriented… enough so that Fang dived into her again.

Fang now had the She-Wolf pinned on the floor, his paws pressed hard on her neck… but she did not yield. Rosa raised her own paws to Fang's neck and his face, her claws drawn. The two of them making feral growls at the other as the struggle continued for the next few seconds.

Every second the White Wolf had her pinned only made her angrier… when she got the slightest chance, Rosa cruelly brought a claw to his left eye…

Fang cringed from the pain as her claw tore at his flesh, only just missing his eyeball. It caused him to unintentionally loosen his grasp, which gave Rosa what she needed. She kneed the Wolf in the chest as she coiled her legs, flipped Fang over afterwards. Rosa immediately rolled over onto all fours. She growled savagely, her hackles raised, as she returned to two feet and charged at the other canine.

Fang had recovered quick, returning to his two legs, and turned to face the She-Wolf.

Again they fought… both with ferocity and determination.

To kill the other.

* * *

It was a fairly even fight, the other at one point taking a minor advantage as they parried continuously. Both of their techniques were identical; give pain, take pain, unrelenting and unforgiving.

Fang had studied martial arts from a young age… the particular choice of mammalian fighting styles he selected to practice being one that was (almost) exclusive to wolves; its official name had since been lost to time long before the dawn of Zootopia. Today it was just referred to as ' _Wolf Warrior_ '.

Fang honestly thought the name was degradingly comical, but it didn't stop him from practicing it. It wasn't until he first used it in practice that he truly appreciated the art: fending off two muggers from attacking an elderly caribou in his neighbourhood when he was 16 years old. The muggers didn't even lay a claw on him as a few quick kicks and punches sent the two grown mammals running in fear from the adolescent wolf. The caribou had greatly expressed his gratitude, and after praise from the Police for his efforts (and as he was a predator, his good deed was plastered all over the news to improve relations) was when Fang decided he wanted to be a Police Officer, and immediately entered the academy when he became eligible at 18.

After showing prowess in his paw-to-paw combat and firearms training, his natural ability to work well within a team and his humility with his comrades quickly got him his position on the SWAT Team after his first three years on the Force.

Throughout Fang's career his expertise in his martial arts had been used on multiple occasions, and even got him and his colleagues out of some very tough spots during other SWAT missions.

But as of right now, as he moved his limbs in the forms and patterns he had learned and practiced all his life… something in the back of his mind told Fang he may have met his match here.

It was clear as they fought, that the She-Wolf was also trained in the same art. And trained well.

Both the Red and White Wolf were quite literally the style's namesake right now;

Wolf Warriors, fighting to the death…

…

* * *

The Red Wolf was currently on the attack, pushing the White Wolf backwards as she was swinging punches and jabs that Fang was blocking or pushing away.

He saw an opening in her attack;

When the She-Wolf lunged next, Fang caught her arm, and dragged her closer. It caught Rosa off-guard when he suddenly forced his paw into her stomach, winding her and then lifting her over his shoulder.

But Fang hadn't counted on the She-wolf landing on her feet.

Before he had chance to turn around, Marconi had broken free of his grasp and swiftly brought her knee to the back of his leg, breaking his stance, and then her other leg kicked him forward.

There was enough force in the kick to send him rolling. But Fang recovered again, twisting round just in time to parry one of the Red-Wolf's harsh kicks. She kicked again and again, every time Fang blocked it… till the last one he let it hit his head.

Marconi had the White Wolf's head pinned against the wall… but not any other part of his body; she didn't expect what came next.

Fang grabbed hold of her outstretched leg, and forced his paw between her legs again… that gave him the perfect leverage.

With a growl, he spun the Red Wolf around with his pinned head as the pivot, until her muzzle came crashing into the opposite wall.

Marconi fell with a small snarl. Immediately Fang skulked behind her, yanking her up to her feet with a tug of her own tactical gear, and grasping the She-Wolf in a tight headlock.

He staggered backwards as Marconi tried to free herself from his grasp, digging her claws into Fang's arm as he had her trapped. Each step his grip got tighter, choking her, until the She-Wolf decided to change her tactic. She brought her left arm up high, and slammed her elbow into the Wolf's side.

She did it again.

And again.

And again.

Until Fang lost his grip from flinching.

Marconi pulled her neck free, but saw the opportunity. She wrapped her arms round the back of Fang's neck, using the leverage from him and her own strength to bring her knee upwards into his muzzle.

With the Wolf dazed, she now had control; Rosa pulled Fang forward to the wall, and used her leverage from him to walk a few steps vertically before flipping over his back, landing solidly on her two feet.

Fang tried to turn around, but a sudden kick to the back of his knee knocked him down, and another swift blow to his muzzle came as the She-Wolf came to his front and again used his own body as leverage.

Fang fell backwards to the floor, trying to keep his bearings… immediately rolling to his left as the She-Wolf tried to bring her foot down to crush his neck. It landed on the bare floor, as Fang rolled to back to his feet.

The Red Wolf attacked again, throwing more punches which Fang managed to block, despite tiring, and being dazed from the several blows to his head.

A break in her attack allowed Fang to knee her in the chest… but Marconi did it on purpose; blocking Fang's knee and pushing him away, leaving his position open.

She brought a hard punch to the side of his right knee, breaking his stance again as Fang slipped sideways… and then using her other paw to punch his head…

But Fang blocked the punch, and fell backwards on purpose, bringing up his left leg to kick the She-Wolf in the muzzle. But as it contacted, Marconi also fell backwards, and kicked Fang in the side of the head.

Both of them simultaneously fell backwards to the floor, taking a brief respite to pant and catch their breath and suppress their pain.

* * *

Fang brought his paw up to wipe away the blood around his eye from where the She-Wolf had scratched it, then another to his partially bleeding nose. He was aching all over, and although hidden beneath his gear and now very dirty white fur, Fang knew he was going to be covered in bruises.

But he couldn't back down, he had to end this now if he wanted to live.

* * *

Marconi brought her paw to her muzzle, wiping away some blood from her nose. As she licked her gums, she could taste blood, and one of her canine teeth was broken… she snarled viciously at that realisation as she twisted round on the floor and returned to her feet spitting the blood from her mouth…

She was done fighting… it was time to end this.

* * *

Fang stood up, and raised his paws ready to fight…but even he himself knew his stance was feeble and his strength waning…

But this was a fight to survive…

The Red Wolf charged at him again, her moves still as sprightly as the start of the fight.

Fang couldn't believe it possible she was still going so strong when they had landed just as many blows on the other. He wasn't sure how much longer he could last. The Red Wolf's swift kicks and punches seemed to hurt even more when he came to block them again, bringing up his arms to defend himself. If Fang wanted to win this he had to go on the offensive;

But that single punch started his downfall…

As Fang went for the hit, Marconi swatted his punch away, leaving him undefended. Switching between both her right and left, she elbowed his chest, then punched his chest, then his side, then his leg… each blow more painful than the last.

Fang almost fell completely limp from that onslaught, allowing Marconi to finish her move and flip him over her back.

Fang fell on his own back, spinning over instantly and grabbing one of the Red Wolf's kicking feet, using it to twist her over and lever her down to ground also, landing on her front.

Fang climbed on top of her, attempting to pin the She-Wolf, but as he did, Rosa pushed him off by swinging her elbows backwards to collide with his head, first with her left, then her right and then her left again.

Fang recoiled from the blows, rolling off her, and quickly pushing himself up from the floor as he dodged a swinging kick to his head.

Marconi kicked again; Fang blocked it, but it only allowed her to grab his paws to pull herself up, kneeing him in the muzzle again as she did.

Fang recovered as quick as he could, blocking another of the Red Wolf's kicks before swinging his own leg around for a roundhouse kick…

But the She-wolf caught his leg, and used it to force the Wolf's own weight against him. She twisted him around with the leverage from his leg until Fang had fallen to his knees. Rosa jabbed at the back of his knees to be sure he stayed there, before punching at the back of his neck and coming round his front to knee the him in the muzzle again.

Fang flipped over from the force, shuffling backwards on the floor until he was back on his knees. He attempted to stand, until Rosa punched his side and then grabbed his head, slamming him sideways into the wall…

Once.

Twice.

He was out of options… Fang resisted her grip long enough to place all his strength into one uppercut, hitting the Red-wolf directly under her jaw, but as she took it, she lifted her knee into Fang's own jaw.

The momentary break only allowed Marconi to grab the back of Fang's head and plant her other knee into his jaw.

Fang staggered backwards, still barely managing to climb from his knees…

He knew by now… he'd already lost.

But the Red Wolf still didn't relent, punching him again in both sides of the head with both her balled up paws before ending her savage barrage with a swift and brutal roundhouse kick to the White Wolf's head.

It left him with a deafly ringing in his ears as the momentum also sent Fang's head hard against the wall… it was as if he had been kicked twice…

That last blow was enough…

Fang slumped to the floor on his back… and didn't move again.

He was beaten. Literally.

Blood started seeping heavily in crimson streams from his nose, from the scratch on his eye and now from his ear too, staining his white fur. He lay there completely exhausted, panting heavily, his head aching excruciatingly, as he brought both his paws to clutch his pained and bleeding muzzle.

* * *

The Red-Wolf took the moment to regain her breath. Marconi panted lightly as she still stood firm on the cracked tile floor, gobbing another spat of blood from her mouth. She observed the White Wolf with hatred, but also respect. He had been a worthy opponent…

But she had to finish the job.

Pausing a little longer as the White Wolf shuffled slowly on the floor, Marconi reached for a small zip pocket on her gear. Dragging the zip down, she reached inside, pulling out a small transparent inhaler…

Inside it, a cool blue liquid that almost glowed in the dull corridor.

Rosa brought the inhaler to her muzzle, breathing out fully before placing the mouthpiece to her lips and pressing the canister. Inhaling fully, she took all of the cerulean gas into her lungs… closing her eyes from the pleasurable sensation as the drug affected her…

Giving her the rush she wanted and needed.

…

* * *

Fang tried to stand, he felt faint as he became upright, leaning on the wall for support…

But knew he had to continue fighting.

He had to.

But as he became more solid in his stance, the Red-Wolf attacked him again… charging at him full force, grabbing and twisting him around with all her weight and momentum, until he was sent back to the floor.

Fang barely registered it, only that he was now back on the floor. His senses were fading, the exception being the pain he was feeling throughout his body. He tried to move again, crawling on the floor to anywhere but here… but another swift kick pushed him back down.

He looked up in desperation to see his shotgun at the end of the hallway… it was his only option… He knew it was loaded, all he needed to do was get to it… but it was so far away.

He attempted to crawl again, barely managing to pull himself along until he was stopped prematurely again.

Fang struggled feebly as the She-Wolf pulled him up from the floor by dragging the back collar of his SWAT gear. She held the Wolf up in a seated position, his back leaning on her front.

In the small commotion, Fang felt an arm come round the underside of his jaw, and a paw gently caress his right cheek. It was almost comforting, until that caress turned to a harsh grasp as the She-Wolf dug her claws in…

He knew what she was trying to do…

She was trying to snap his neck.

She _did_ say she didn't need her claws to kill…

Fang struggled more vigorously this time… knowing if he didn't, this was going to be it… this is how he would die. With his remaining strength, he brought his arms up to pry the Red-Wolf's arms away from his head and neck…

A swift and brutal punch to his right temple quickly expended any strength he had left… and left him barely conscious for when it would happen.

He still tried…

He still tried to bring his paws up to save himself.

But it was no use.

Rosa Marconi would get her kill… a well-earned kill.

She now placed her other arm across his brow, clasping hard to the left side of his head.

She could feel the White Wolf's strength fading as she held tighter…

He'd given up fighting… now she would put him out of his misery…

* * *

Marconi savoured this moment. She always did, especially for such a worthy opponent. It was her way of showing respect for a vanquished foe… by killing them quickly. If she had no respect for him she'd make much more of a mess, and probably leave her pack to do the deed.

She took a deep breath.

The long breath before a glorious kill…

…

Interrupted, as she heard the door of the hallway open and close behind her. She tried not to let it ruin the moment for her, so she took no notice of it, expecting that it would just be her pack returning to her after finishing off the Fox and the Snow Leopard.

After all, what was the point of a magnificent kill without an audience?

…

As she gradually tightened her grip further around the White-Wolf's head, readying herself to end his life, she was quite confused…

…

When a female voice shouted from behind her;

"Hey _bitch!_ …"

…

Rosa's ears perked high as she heard that…

She _hated…_ _that,_ word.

She partially loosened her grasp on the Wolf and turned around to face down the empty hallway with a snarl at the intruder who had ruined her perfect moment…

…

A Snow Leopard stood at the end, a splatter of blood on her scowling face… and a pistol drawn…

…

Catherine spoke again;

"… That's _my_ Wolf…"

…

A loud bang echoed down the corridor… and the last thing Rosa Marconi felt, was a supersonic 9mm bullet splitting her skull…

And a crushing unending blackness.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 _ **'Revelations'**_

* * *

Fang felt nothing but regret as he knew there was no escape from this. All his strength had left him. He even resorted to silently praying for a miracle to save him, one which he knew was likely to go unanswered. Despite being nearly killed several times already today, the realisation this time was overwhelming… nothing could prepare the White Wolf for his sudden and violent death.

There was still so much he had wanted to do in his life-

But in his barely conscious state, expecting to have been dead a second ago… the White Wolf felt a sudden freedom as a ringing affected his ears.

He was actually confused, whether or not he had just been killed.

The She-Wolf's hold on him had loosened…

No… not just loosened.

It had disappeared.

Now nothing was holding him up, Fang fell limp from his exhaustion, and slumped to the floor.

Still half conscious, he realised he was now lying on the tiled corridor flat on his back. Fang managed to force his eyes open, his blurred gaze looked up to the ceiling, only just now noticing some of the suspended ceiling panels were missing and the fluorescent tubed light fixtures were flashing with an annoying and consistent flicker.

It forced him to blink slowly several times… as he lay there in disbelief, exposed on the broken tiled floor.

He was still alive…

But… how?

…

He was sure that was it… game over… life done.

…

And all of a sudden, it became clear that his prayer had been answered… as the most beautiful Snow Leopard entered his sight… and he heard her say his name;

"John…"

It was muffled, as his hearing was still impaired… but he heard it clear as day.

He knew that face and he knew that voice…

"Catherine…" he replied, his voice dry and croaky.

She may have looked a bit worse for wear; her fur was ruffled and dirty, and a splatter of blood had stained her face.

But he didn't care…

Her grey and white fur shined even in the dim light, making her black spots ever more prominent. Her blue eyes shone like the most pristine pools of water… filled with nothing but comfort as he gazed into them… as if he had just been sent an angel from heaven.

It was almost too good to be true. Fang made another long blink just to be sure she was really there, but when he opened his eyes again and his vision cleared, she really was.

"I really must be dead…" he murmured.

"Don't you even _dare_ use that cliché on me…" Catherine soothed jokily, making a wide smile; she had got here just in time.

Although she knew Fang was very likely unable to think coherently, she was still put off by how confused he looked at her. She spoke soothingly again, placing a paw on his shoulder and looking him directly in the eyes;

"John… you're alive…"

He heard her clearer now, his hearing had returned… as had his other senses. Fang noticed it when he cringed heavily in pain as he tried to sit up.

"Easy… you've taken quite a bit of a beating," Catherine helped him.

Fang glanced to his left, his eyes landing upon the feminine lupine form of the Red Wolf he had just been duelling… dead. Limp and lifeless on the tiled floor; an ever expanding, viscous pool of crimson formed by her head, turning her red fur ever redder as more of her blood drained out.

It was all clear to him now; he looked at the Snow Leopard, saying;

"You saved my life…"

"Don't sound so surprised," Catherine lightly chuckled, "I've got your back… always have,"

Fang made a light smile of admiration as he looked at her;

"Thanks…"

"Well…" Catherine began, almost nervously, "… I couldn't let that bitch kill you…" She made another long and nervous pause, "… not at least before I got to do this…"

There was no hesitation at that moment, when Catherine placed her lips against his...

If he was honest… It took Fang by surprise, but he didn't pull back, nor did he push her away. He graciously accepted Catherine's loving advance, realising himself, how much we wanted it. He brought a paw to the side of her face, lightly stroking her silk-like fur, as she cupped a paw lightly under his bruised chin, the two of them engrossed in the others affection. Lost in the moment of bliss, Fang leant further up, moving his paw behind Catherine's head, and pushed further into the kiss…

Unfortunately pressing Catherine's nose with his own broken nose-

"Ah!" He gasped as he pulled back.

"Oh, sorry!" Catherine apologised, thinking it was her.

"It's ok… my fault," Fang smiled, as he rubbed the bridge of his muzzle, muttering; "I think my nose might be a bit broken,"

He was taken aback suddenly when Catherine made a light peck on his nose… Fang could have sworn the kiss did actually make it better already. When she backed away, he looked intently into the Snow Leopard's crystal blue eyes, enticed by her beauty and loving gaze…

"That was… err…" Fang began, trying to think of a suitable word to describe what had just happened; "… Nice…" He paused, silently cursing himself in his head and immediately asking; "… so... How long have you been wanting to do that?"

"A while I guess…" Catherine pondered innocently, "… took nearly getting killed several times to finally realise it I think…"

"I think I can relate to that…" Fang smiled warmly; "… And there's me thinking this was gonna be a bad day…"

Catherine didn't reply immediately, as she looked away, now speaking in a worried tone; "Might still be…"

Fang looked puzzled, not expecting such a statement from her so suddenly… but that's when he noticed, as he took the second to look around...

Catherine was alone;

"Nick… Where is he?"

…

* * *

Outside…

In a world of his own.

Nick was lying on something solid… he couldn't tell what; to him, he still felt like he was falling.

Barely conscious himself, he lay, exposed on his back… his breathing heavy, long, dry…

And fading.

His eyes were only half open, the smallest slit of his emerald iris visible as his pupils constricted due to the blinding and heavenly gaze of the sun high above him.

The light from the omnipotent orb seemed to become brighter as he lay there staring with his squinting eyes, almost creating a long tunnel.

There was something comforting about the warmth the sun gave him right now… it was reassuring, loving, almost like it was trying to take him away from reality…

…

Nick closed his eyes.

He let his muscles relax.

And allowed his breathing to calm… ever slower.

…

It felt right for the moment.

…

Nick knew what was happening.

It didn't take a genius to know…

He knew he was dying.

…

It somehow felt… blissful.

Calming.

…

And yet, it was the last thing he wanted.

…

But he couldn't stop himself.

His body was giving up.

All he wanted to do was rest.

Just leave his eyes closed and fall asleep.

And rest his weary self.

…

Nick just lay there, unable to move… drifting away from reality.

He felt nothing.

He heard nothing.

He smelt nothing.

But he could see… everything:

Images began to fleet through his mind…

The forms and faces of all those most dear to him, the ones that were there for him in a time of need.

From the moment he was born, and first opened his eyes as a little fox kit, taking in a whole new world. When he first heard the soothing words of his Mother and the everlasting maternal love she gave him.

His time in school, including a very distinct memory of him running around the playground in a game of Tag… no one could catch him, except for one vixen.

His first kiss.

His first love.

His first loss… first heartbreak.

Since then, many happier events:

The memory of his first successful hustle.

And the best hustles since.

And all the best times with his closest friends from his childhood… and from those old hustling days; and all those friends since, who never turned on him when he put on the blue uniform and the gold badge, trying to make a difference… and the friends he had made as soon as he did-

…

Suddenly, Nick's flashback paused itself, as one image stood out among the rest.

One experience that stood out among the rest…

Those particular forty-eight hours that changed his life… and the years beyond it-

That one last image was fuzzy …

Grey, and fuzzy.

With a slight shimmer of purple- a pair of amethyst gems, staring at him with the warmest and most comforting gaze, accompanied by the most loving of smiles...

One he had hoped to see one last time.

And tell her how he felt about her.

…

As Nick lay there, his eyes still closed, his breathing steadying to a stall… on the cusp of death… Only one word escaped his lips.

One name.

…

" _Judy_ …"

* * *

"Hopps… you should be in hospital,"

"I'm fine Chief…"

"You're not fine. You were shot in the leg."

"It's healed… magically," Judy lied, in a mischievous tone that had rubbed off on her having spent so much time with her vulpine partner; "… medical science has advanced quite far in recent years Chief… have you not seen the news?"

"Really? …" Bogo obviously wasn't convinced, "Go on then… stand on your injured leg…"

She dropped her oversized crutch, standing (mostly) firm on her two legs before shifting her weight;

"See…" Judy winced, "… perrrfectllly fiiine… AH!"

The Bunny collapsed in heap on the floor, making a dull thud as she brought her arms up to break her fall.

Bogo approached her, offering a hoof to help her get up to her good leg and crutch;

"Hopps, go back to the ambulance… I've got enough to worry about without having to look after you-"

"Chief please," Judy practically begged, as she clasped hard to her crutch, "… I can't just sit back there and do nothing… Not while my friends and colleagues are in that hellhole getting shot at…"

"For now Hopps, the best thing you can do is rest your injury-"

"No… there must be something I can do to help them!"

"Judy…" Bogo began, showing his concern by very uncommonly using her first name; "… How many times do I have to say it… you're injured, you need to rest… why are you so determined to help at the risk of your own health?"

"Because… it's my job!" Judy exclaimed, "I _should_ be helping them! I _should_ be in there with them… I should be in there with…"

"With Nick?" Bogo questioned.

Judy didn't respond… she looked away from the Buffalo.

Nothing rarely got by the Chief without him noticing. Bogo noticed Judy would not be so defiant of resting her injury if Nick had remained with her… He decided then, considering the situation of the mission, what was best for his injured Officer at the moment;

"You shouldn't be here Hopps… you need to go to hospital,"

"No Chief," Judy wouldn't yield, "… there must be _something_ I can do!"

"You _shouldn't_ be here…"

"Why not!?"

"Because…" Bogo made a disheartened huff. He didn't want to disclose the state of the mission to Judy for her sake, but he knew she would never back down;

"… We lost contact with Team 1 over twenty minutes ago…"

He paused as he noticed the news hit Judy's ears: they fell backwards behind her head, but he continued regardless;

"… After that we heard gunfire but then that was it…" he made a long pause, "… Grizzoli isn't answering his radio-"

"Are you sending back-up?" Judy interrupted.

"All back up has gone in to assist Teams 2 and 3, who are still engaging hostiles… they radio check every three minutes-"

At that moment, as if some sort of wish fulfilled excuse to escape the Bunny's fiery determination and persistent questions, one of the Officer's outside entered the MCC, speaking to Bogo;

"Sir, we have a fire in the Containment Zone… a big one,"

Bogo acknowledged. He turned to Judy one last time;

"Stay put," he ordered, before he exited the vehicle…

Leaving Judy alone, with the exception of the few mammals monitoring the computers in the Mobile Command Centre.

…

Her determination had dissipated. She fell completely silent as she came to comprehend the news, and how it tore mercilessly through her mind…

No contact.

No radio response…

After a spate of gunfire?

…

But that could mean anything.

It didn't mean they were dead.

It didn't mean Nick was dead.

…

So why did she suddenly feel so empty?

Why did the world suddenly feel quiet… like reality had faded away around her?

Judy felt faint, bringing a paw to hold her head and lean more on her oversized cutch as she felt herself become unbalanced in her standing position.

Tears began to form in her eyes. She shook her head as she disagreed with herself…

No… he couldn't.

He just couldn't.

Judy's breathing became erratic as the possibility became evermore real to her.

No… it's not possible… She would know if Nick was dead.

She cared about him so much… she would feel it in her heart…

But maybe that's why it hurt so much right now… the thought of losing him… It was too much to bear.

Leaning on her crutch, her head facing down looking at her feet… the Bunny closed her eyes and muttered to herself, in a vain effort to think somehow, somewhere in that battleground, he could hear her tender voice;

"Nick, you promis-" she stuttered, "… you promised me… You promised me you'd come back…"

…

"… You better keep that promise…"

* * *

"I promised you, Judy…" Nick murmured, "And I'm gonna keep it… I'm gonna live through this…"

…

"And then I'm gonna tell you that I love you…"

In that moment Nick decided… even if he had to travel to the ends of the earth… even if he had to stare death in the face a million more times… even if it meant having to kill again.

He would do anything to see that Bunny one last time.

…

With the scrap of his re-found strength from his determination to keep his promise… Nick pushed away the grasp of the grim reaper, and forced his eyes open.

He wasn't finished yet…

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the relatively short chapter. That one was previously part of Chapter 9 but I decided to change it as I think it did better on its own. As for now this also concludes the second part of this story… with plenty of action still to come ;) Unfortunately, I'm going to have to leave another two week gap for the next chapter as my productivity has been pretty pathetic recently… so, sorry about that.**

 **Once again though I have to say, thank you for reading my story, and especially for the kind words in the reviews and for hitting that follow/fav button if you have. It really means a lot, thanks :) and I also hope you stick around for the rest of the story too… like I said, plenty of action still to come.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Long two weeks that was, but at least I have a larger chapter to upload this time. I've also made an edit to the summary and the full summary in the first chapter as well, but there's been no other major changes… apart from a new chapter of course.**

 **First of all though, in response to BoneMean's question in your review; I can see why you asked that; hadn't occurred to me that scene was similar to the scene in Everest. But no, the part with Nick not giving up I had adapted from the actual 'THE RAID' film, which is also a similar(ish) scene where the main character has a brief vision of his family. Thanks for the review also, and trust me there is more to come ;)**

 **Speaking of, I'll unfortunately (most likely) will have to leave another two week break before uploading the next chapter. Reason being, I'm trying to pace my uploads so I'm writing several chapters ahead of what I'm uploading, and that gap has been getting shorter and shorter, as I had Chapter 6 written before I started uploading in August. Now I've only just finished Chapter 13… so yea. Sorry about that :/ … it's all there in my head, I just gotta get it out into words.**

 **But for now, here's the next Chapter…**

* * *

Chapter 11

 _ **'Against all the Odds'**_

* * *

His open stare found him looking up the edge of the apartment building… a small cloud of smoke exorcising from the window he had been blasted out of.

As Nick reasserted himself with reality, he slowly shifted his head sideways, realising a car windscreen had broken his four storey fall. The glass had smashed and warped, almost moulding to his vulpine shape as he had landed.

As his other senses began to retune, Nick tried to lean up, immediately gasping and cringing as the pain his near-death experience had suppressed reached his nerves. His breathing quickened, followed by several pained coughs as his mind began to process his injuries; they felt like a million tiny cuts were covering him from head to toe and tip of tail. He lay there a moment longer as he tried to suppress the merciless stings.

Nevertheless, Nick soon forced himself to lean up: this would be the most difficult rise to his feet he had ever made in his life… even more so compared to some of the most challenging rises from his bed in the early mornings.

The glass cracked further and broken shards moved with quiet chinks as Nick shuffled off the windscreen, and onto the bonnet.

His left arm began to hurt considerably. Looking at it, Nick recognised why. Several pieces of shrapnel from the fragmentation grenade had pierced his arm, slowly oozing out blood to matt his fur. Under his initial inspection, they weren't that bad; he would rather it be his arm that was injured than his head after all.

As he tried to roll over-

"AAARRGHHHH!" he roared in agony.

Another injury.

Nick felt behind his back, finding a piece of broken glass, the sharp tip wedged just underneath the waist of his ballistic vest… piercing his skin, and very narrowly missing his spine.

He held his breath as he grabbed the shard of glass hard… and ripped it directly from the wound. His bated breath helped him stay quieter this time, supressing another yell of pain as he gasped in agony.

He took the moment to access any other injuries, finding a small gash at the back of his head. Nick felt dizzy as he looked at his blood covered paw. He took more time evaluate himself, but as he looked himself over it became clear that with the exception of the injuries he already found and a few small cuts, his SWAT gear had protected the rest of his body from anything else major.

In an ordinary situation… he'd radio in that he was injured and backup would come.

But this was no ordinary situation.

Never mind the fact that he didn't have a radio on him… Nick also knew backup wouldn't come, and he didn't even know whether his team were still alive… let alone if they would be able find him…

He moved on; Nick slowly slid to the edge of the car bonnet. He realised it was a car made for a much larger mammal so the climb down the front of the vehicle was almost taller than him.

But Nick persisted, sliding off the rusted hood and onto the ground, firmly on his two feet.

But as he became evermore upright, Nick suddenly felt the blood rush to his head…

He collapsed as he took a step.

His head was all over the place… he was heavily concussed, suddenly feeling only half conscious again as soon as he returned to his feet.

As he made another step, his dizziness caused him to stumble, coming to lean on a lamppost.

Nick looked around as he leant there, realising he was on a small side street along the edge of the apartment complex, and at the far end of the road…

The warehouse he was trying to get to.

Nick shook his head to try and clear his mind.

All he needed to do was get there… that's where the rest of his team was. But as he took another step…

Nick collapsed again… and didn't get back up.

Even the solid bed of the aged concrete pavement was a comfort to the concussed Fox. Nick lay on the slab, his eyes remaining open… somehow mesmerised by the dust that his tired and heavy breath was kicking up.

He had to go on.

He promised her…

He promised Judy.

Nick outstretched an arm in front of him, attempting to crawl the rest of the way-

He stopped a moment, when he was sure he could hear footsteps…

And felt a large paw land carefully on his shoulder-

In the moment of fear, Nick's survival instinct kicked in; he turned over with an angry snarl and began to kick away the assailant-

"Hey Nick! … Stop! … It's me!"

Nick listened, and ceased his defences, noticing the face and voice of the Lion that was his commanding officer. It was Grizzoli who found him…

* * *

The eerie silence had returned again as the White Wolf and the Snow Leopard returned to the lobby of the apartment complex.

Despite both being battered and bruised (Fang more so), the two of them were still going strong. Catherine's still dislocated left arm had not gone unnoticed by her Wolf companion, but she had insisted, and they both agreed, to find Nick first before attending to it.

The Snow Leopard still had her pistol drawn in her right paw, unable to move her left without considerable pain, yet she still had her sniper rifle holstered over her back, and had picked up Nick's dropped handgun to return it to him.

Fang still carried his shotgun, but it was holstered over his back, as he was carrying a new weapon; the dead Red She-Wolf's Adaptive Combat Rifle, and he had picked clean what was left of the ammunition he could carry from her gear… after all, she wouldn't be needing it anymore.

They slowly exited the door into the lobby area, coming out to the first floor landing.

"You're sure he fell out the window?" Fang asked.

"Positive…" Catherine answered, "… he wasn't in the room after the blast… And if he was, he'd be dead,"

Fang peeked over the balustrade of the landing, scanning downstairs and outside through the massive glazed entrances at the courtyard the one side and the street on the other.

"What side of the building?" Fang questioned.

"Street side, I think,"

Fang checked the surroundings one more time;

"Alright… It looks clear…"

They moved onwards, descending the staircase to the ground floor. Fang still checked every available corner that a mammal could hide behind and surprise them, his carbine raised… just in case any other 'hunting parties' were looking for them.

The Wolf and the Snow Leopard slowly reached the exit to the street, quickly stopping when they heard-

"Movement," Fang muttered.

"I hear it too…" Catherine whispered.

The Wolf clutched his rifle steadily, and the Snow Leopard held her pistol firm…

Just in case.

Fang turned the corner, now facing outside…

Down the small street was a single Lion on the pavement, kneeling down on the concrete walkway.

Fang was relieved, and lowered his rifle knowing for sure the mammal was a friend. He recognised the Lion; particularly since he was wearing heavy tactical gear and a holstered M16 on his back, barely covering the three prominent white inscribed initials:

 _ZPD_

 _SWAT_

"Leonard!" Fang called.

Grizzoli looked behind him, not startled at all; he immediately brought a finger to his muzzle to tell Fang to shush. He did notice the Snow Leopard accompanying the Wolf, recognising her as an old friend but didn't have the time to acknowledge her properly. He beckoned the two of them over with a gesture of his paw.

Fang and Catherine moved down the pavement to meet the Lion. Upon reaching him they quickly noticed the injured Fox still lying on the ground before him.

"Sh*t, Nick…" Catherine muttered as she saw the state he was in.

His left arm was covered in blood, as was the base of his shirt on his back and the back of his head. Several tiny pieces of broken glass still littered his now incredibly dirty and ruffled fur and his one eye socket was partially swollen.

"He's in a bad way…" Grizzoli said, "I can fix him up for now, but we need to move first-"

"Here, hold this…" Fang gave Grizzoli his rifle, holding it out until the Lion took it; "… I'll carry him,"

Grizzoli looked over the weapon, noticing it wasn't SWAT standard issue;

"Where did you get this?"

"Dying gift from the Alpha of that wolf pack…" Fang answered light-heartedly, as he lifted Nick over his shoulder; the Fox groaning quietly as he did.

Not a bad gift… Grizzoli mused. He raised the weapon, placing the stock firmly to his shoulder. It was a little small for him, the weapon being set for the size of a wolf… but it was still a nice weapon to handle, even though it wouldn't replace his M16 holstered on his back.

"What happened to you guys?"

"Long story… sorta…" Fang answered again, "How did you find us?"

"You mean besides hearing the explosion, all the gunshots and feral grunts?" Grizzoli replied, "Didn't take much searching…"

"Huh…" Fang conceded, somehow forgetting that their fights would have made a lot of noise; "Where're the others?"

"Still in the warehouse… Mchorn's watching the door," Grizzoli mustered; "This way,"

The Lion led the way, the Wolf following behind carrying the half conscious Fox, while the Snow Leopard held her pistol strong, covering their rear. They didn't waste any time, quickly reaching the end of the side street. Grizzoli checked thoroughly to see if the subsequent road it opened on to was clear.

On the opposite side of the road was the warehouse; a fairly old and dilapidated clay brick building… blending in perfectly to the surrounding dilapidated area.

The SWAT Team crossed the road without any trouble, entering another alleyway adjacent to the warehouse, where suddenly, a large side door to the building was pushed open, a Rhino in tactical gear and holding a machinegun peering through;

"Get in," Mchorn whispered.

Fang went in first, Nick still half-conscious over his shoulder. Catherine followed through next, with Grizzoli next and Mchorn bringing up the rear as he closed the steel door behind him. They proceeded to the basement stairs and descended it, coming to an open room with several wooden crates; a single Tiger leaning against one of them

Delgato greeted them happily when he saw them; "You guys made it…"

"Just about," Fang answered.

Grizzoli moved to clear the dust and age old junk from one of the wooden crates;

"Here, put him here," he said to Fang.

The Wolf brought the Fox carefully down from his shoulder. Nick only groaned from the movement, until he was placed down on the large wood box. Fang just backed away to let Grizzoli do his thing; being their squad medic.

He ambled over to his Snow Leopard companion; Catherine was clearly suppressing some pain as she was wincing, and her free paw was clutching her left shoulder.

"Let's relocate that arm…" Fang said.

Catherine nodded in response, moving herself to sit squarely on one of the crates as the Wolf came round to her injured limb. Fang positioned Catherine's arm against her, making a right angle at her elbow before carefully and slowly externally rotating her arm.

The mood in the room was quite bleak as Grizzoli tended to Nick's injuries, Fang tended to Catherine's dislocated shoulder, while Mchorn sat on the stairs, counting the rest of his ammunition and Delgato resisted the urge to scratch his injured ear while looking down at his feet.

One of the tiny gasps from the Snow Leopard suddenly caught the Tiger's attention. Delgato looked up from his paws, somehow only just noticing the addition of the Snow Leopard to their group;

"Catherine? Where'd you come from?"

Catherine looked over at the Tiger, with a weak smile.

"Short answer… I was on the chopper,"

"The one that got shot down?" Mchorn piped up, with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yea," Catherine replied, making a small gasp.

"Damn… you've got to be the luckiest of all of us today to survive that,"

"Naa, more like I just cashed in a couple of my nine lives to get here…"

She and Delgato sniggered at that comment, but Mchorn was confused;

"Huh?"

"It's a feline thing mate…" Delgato summarised, "Nine lives and all that,"

"Oh… Lucky for you two then…"

Catherine still made only a couple of half gasps from the movement of her dislocated arm as it gradually found its way back to its socket. Her bone clicked as her arm eventually re-found the joint to her torso.

"AH!"

"Sorry…" Fang fretted, offering a paw to quickly and softly massage her shoulder; "That better?"

The Snow Leopard gently moved her now relocated arm before she answered;

"Yea… thanks," she smiled.

Fang returned the loving smile… if it wasn't for the company, he and Catherine would have probably kissed again at that moment. Instead Fang decided to sit himself on the crate next to her, and attempted to make some conversation to make the mood any less bleak.

"How's the ear Seb?" the Wolf asked the Tiger, noticing his bloody bandage wrapped around his head.

"Not much better than your nose, by the looks of it," Delgato replied

Fang brought his paw up to his muzzle, the slightest touch causing some pain;

"Heh… touché,"

"What happened to you guys anyway? …"

"Long story or short story?"

"Whichever,"

"Well the short story is we got fu*ked up but the perps got fu*ked up more…" Fang answered, surprisingly not tripping over his words.

Delgato blinked and shook his head in slight confusion;

"Ok… long version, because that just went straight though my head-"

"That'll happen a lot now considering you've got a larger hole in your ear," Fang joked.

He and Mchorn openly laughed while Delgato lightly chuckled and shook it off having been at his own expense… he had kind of walked right into it; and at least being battered and bruised hadn't dissipated Fang's quick wit.

The White Wolf began explaining the long story to the Tiger and the Rhino, while Catherine, now feeling better herself, decided to see if Grizzoli needed any help treating Nick as the others continued to converse.

Across the small room, she reached the makeshift table top, where the Lion was leaning over the injured Fox. He had already wiped the worst of Nick's blood from his fur, dumping the bloody paper towels on the floor. Nick still only appeared half conscious.

"How is he?" Catherine asked.

"He's concussed… but he's coming round," Grizzoli answered, "I just need to disinfect his injuries and bandage them up, "What actually happened?"

"He got half blown up by a grenade then fell out a four storey window."

"Sh*t…" Grizzoli muttered, "Though I should say then, I think he's come off quite well considering-"

"I'm glad you think so…" the very quiet words came from the injured Fox.

"And he lives… thank God," Catherine half-joked.

"Nick, how many fingers am I holding up?" Grizzoli asked, holding up two of his digits.

Nick squinted at the Lion's large paw, waiting for his vision to come to resolution;

"Two?" he replied (fairly unsure of himself).

"Well, no double vision… that's good,"

Grizzoli turned away at that point, reaching for the medkit. Nick made a sudden groan of discomfort as he closed his eyes again, appearing to fall asleep.

"Hey Nick… you gotta stay awake alright," Catherine said, lightly tapping the Fox's cheek, "You hear me?"

"Yea yea…" the Fox responded sharply, feebly waving one of his paws "… I hear ya,"

Meanwhile, the Lion reached into the medkit, pulling out the small antiseptic aerosol can he had previously used on Delgato's ear;

"Well this is bound to keep him awake," Grizzoli whispered to himself. He then turned to the Snow Leopard, speaking up, "Err… I might need you to hold him for this bit,"

Catherine obliged, holding down the Fox on the wooden crate.

"Sorry Nick," Grizzoli said, as he held the spray, "This is gonna sting a little…"

Then the Lion unleashed the spray.

"AAARRRRGGHHH!-" Nick screamed out loud from the unmerciful sting until Grizzoli held his paw over the Fox's mouth as he weakly thrashed around in Catherine's grip.

His muzzled screams eventually dissipated behind Grizzoli's paw as the Lion used the antiseptic spray on Nick's injuries. Grizzoli could have sworn he heard Nick curse at him, but it only came out as muffled gibberish.

"He's fine!" Grizzoli called back over his shoulder, realising that the Fox's yell of pain had acquired the others attention.

After the Lion was finished, he placed the (now empty) canister down and moved his paw asking;

"How are you feeling now?"

A scowling Fox was his response, until Nick eventually groaned out;

"Not, no… uurrhhmmmm… not good…"

Suddenly, Nick forced the Lion's paw further away with a hard swat; he leaned up to face the opposite side of the makeshift table away from his two companions… and threw up half the contents of his stomach, where it puddled disgustingly on the floor.

"Aaaannd… there goes my breakfast…" Nick mumbled as he propped himself up.

"That's a normal symptom of a concussion," Grizzoli explained, offering Nick a bundle of tissues, "You feeling any better now?"

"I feel like I'm drunk… but it's not pleasant," Nick replied, "Plus… a little more warning next time before the spray-"

"Do you _want_ your wounds to get infected?"

Nick slowly looked at the Lion, with a very begrudging expression on his face.

"Just rest for now," Grizzoli said, ignoring Nick's disgruntled look as he handed him a small pack of painkillers, "Take a couple of these,"

"Uh-huh," Nick said taking the pill, "Keep 'em comin,"

Nick just let Grizzoli finish dressing his wounds on his arm and back with Catherine's help before letting the Fox to rest himself.

Nick slouched backwards against a taller crate, gripping and unclipping his flask before consuming whatever water there was still in it, along with the painkiller tablet. He noticed the empty can of the agonising antiseptic spray sharing his makeshift bench. Nick scowled at the canister as he kicked it off his perch;

"Hate that thing…" Nick grunted, " _Sting a little_ , my furry orange ass…"

…

"Soooo… capable, huh?" Catherine smirked, referring to Nick's earlier comment on his skill at paw-to-paw combat.

Nick looked to her, somehow only just remembering she was leaning on the crate next to him;

"Worked didn't it?" Nick responded positively, "Still alive aren't I?"

"Yea… just about," Catherine said with a teachable smile, "… whatever made you think a grenade was a good idea?"

"I dunno… desperate times, desperate measures and all that crap… you know it's hard to think when you're gasping for air while a wolf is throttling you,"

"Heh… tell me about it-" Catherine paused, looking away for a moment before immediately changing her tone, "I saw the look on your face though…"

"What, look? When?" Nick questioned.

"When you shot the wolf,"

"Oh…" Nick muttered. He had rather wished Catherine hadn't reminded him of that; "I…err… I never killed anyone before-" he stopped abruptly.

Catherine paused a moment, before speaking to the Fox sympathetically; "Trust me… it's not easy, and it doesn't get any easier…"

"So… How do you cope with it?"

"By knowing, that…" The Snow Leopard began unsurely, "When it's your life on the line, or that of your colleagues and any civilian… you have to do whatever you can to preserve life… even if that means taking it,"

"You know… that's exactly what they told me at the Academy during my advanced firearms training," Nick explained, "made it seem so simple… but it just isn't…"

"… Believe me, I know how it feels… but it's part of the job, especially for SWAT… you just got to get over it-"

"It can't really be that simple?"

"Well… think about it this way; would you rather feel guilty about killing that wolf, that _was_ about to kill you? Or would you rather be dead?"

"Well… dying _is_ less preferable,"

"And I bet you gave no second thought when you dropped that grenade either?"

Nick looked at her judgementally; "Seriously Catherine, are you a psychologist or something?"

"I didn't get to being a Detective by luck Nick," Catherine joked; "Survivors instinct… that's all it is,"

Surprisingly enough to him, that reasoning from the Snow Leopard actually did clear Nick's conscience… mostly. It became clear in his head that sometimes, there was no escaping it… in order to survive, you had to kill, even if it didn't feel right. He huffed lightly;

"I suppose so-"

"Hey Nick!" Mchorn yelled over to him, unintentionally interrupting his and Catherine's conversation, "I still have to ask; how did you know about that secret tunnel?"

"Huh… secret tunnel?" Nick stuttered, slightly surprised from the larger mammal's question; "Oh! _That_ secret tunnel… errr, yea… the bar belonged to the dad of a friend of mine. He dug the tunnel-"

"The whole tunnel?"

"Most of it, he was a badger after all… the rest was just using the old maintenance passages for the subway system," Nick explained, scratching the back of his ear, "He used it to smuggle in illegal alcohol's and sell them under a pseudo-name, or just, without having to pay tax, or something like that… I don't know the details because I wasn't involved… but when the place got bought up by that bar chain he bricked it up so no-one would find it-"

Nick halted his speech when he realised all of them were looking at him worriedly;

"What?"

"Nick… you realise that account is enough to warrant an arrest right?" Grizzoli mentioned.

"Yea, but good luck arresting a dead guy," Nick expressed, "He died seven years ago… big 'C',"

"Sorry to hear that,"

"Don't be, he was a jerk, never liked me… I'm still good friends with his daughter though; she runs a bar in the Rainforest District- a _legitimate_ bar- specialising in honey based alcohols…"

"Why honey?" Delgato interjected.

"Because she's a honey badger… and she likes honey…" Nick explained cheerily, "Heck… even her name is Honey,"

"Huh… No kidding," Fang chuckled, "Maybe when this is all over you can take us there for a drink,"

"Could do… but… it's not a very… ' _Cop friendly_ ' place,"

"Oh… so it's one of _those_ bars,"

"Yea…" Nick confirmed, "Plus, Honey has a certain _loopiness_ around her that takes a while to get used to..."

"Think this whole place is a lot loopier… and _a lot less_ Cop friendly," Grizzoli interrupted.

"No sh*t…" Fang muttered.

There was a short rattle of chuckles around the room at the observational humour… but that quickly dissipated.

Although it was meant as humour, Grizzoli's statement couldn't have been any truer. There was a moment of quietness between the members of the SWAT Team as they comprehended their situation.

"What the fu*k have we got ourselves into?" Grizzoli muttered.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm all for asking Bogo for a raise when this is over," Delgato proposed.

"I'll be right there with ya…" Fang added, "But we do have to finish up here first… and you know- _alive_ ,"

"Well seen as we're all together now… with one extra," Mchorn interjected, acknowledging the addition of their Snow Leopard friend, "We got a plan?"

"At the moment… no," Grizzoli answered.

"Can you get a hold of the Chief?" Fang asked.

"Already tried… But the radio's shot,"

"You tried fixing it?"

"No I mean… it's actually, _shot_ -"

Grizzoli held up his radio… or what was left of it. A single bullet had clearly torn through it, blasting a hole though the speaker and microphone; the antenna hanging by a thread.

"-We're on our own," Grizzoli finished his sentence, tossing the useless radio aside.

"So, what do we do now?" Delgato spoke up.

"We continue our mission."

"Leonard," Mchorn challenged, "we've barely got enough ammo for another encounter… let alone fight an army of criminals,"

"Then we make every bullet count… right?" Catherine interjected.

"Exactly…" Grizzoli agreed, "Whatever we do, we can't wait here… Wolford's bleeding out remember, and of the sixty minutes we had to save him, we've used…" he checked his watch, "… Forty of them… Even if we can't get to Fyodorov to finish the mission, we can at least save Mike-"

"And take out that SAM launcher," Catherine added.

"That too,"

"Right… that's _if_ we can take the church, after fighting off… God knows how many more perps trying to kill us," Fang uttered.

"And I don't even have a gun…" Nick piped up.

"Oh," Catherine suddenly remembered, giving Nick back his dropped firearm from earlier; "I meant to give this back to you,"

"Huh… oh, thanks," Nick said to her gratefully, before addressing the others; " _Now_ I've got a gun…"

"You might as well have this as well Nick…" Delgato said, un-holstering his MP7 submachinegun still strapped to his thigh, "… not like I'm gonna use it,"

He walked over and handed the Fox his unused weapon and the two spare magazines.

"Wow… I feel like sociopath on Christmas… everyone's just handing me guns!" Nick jested, advertising his two weapons; "Now I've got _two_ of them,"

"Yea- don't be waving them around like that though…" Catherine said anxiously, actually stepping away from the Fox.

"Relax, the safety's on-" Nick assured… becoming quickly silent when he realised the safety was actually off; he quickly fixed that with a small click; "Ok _now_ the safety's on,"

"This is crazy…" Mchorn spoke, "How are we supposed to even get to the church with that sniper in the tower…?"

"Getting to the church is easy…" Nick uttered as he found pockets for his new ammunition, "There's plenty of alleyways that'll take us right to the churchyard unseen, but that's when we have the big problem-"

"As soon as we enter the churchyard it'll put us in clear view of that sniper," Grizzoli guessed.

"Yea…" Nick continued, "But there are loads of gravestones around the place, big ones too… will a thick slab of stone stop a .50 cal?"

"No…"

"Oh… Then, I'm out of ideas,"

Grizzoli then looked to the Snow Leopard with the sniper rifle, asking;

"Catherine, how good are you at counter-sniping?"

"Well, I've never had to do it before… but I can give it a shot-"

Catherine cut her sentence short when she heard Nick snigger beside her;

"What's so funny?" she asked slightly irritably.

"You mean that wasn't a joke?" Nick questioned, "You said ' _shot_ ' and you're a sniper…"

"That's terrible Nick… even by your standards," Fang interjected.

"I can see why Judy's always rolling her eyes when she's with you," Delgato piled on.

"What!? She loves my jokes-" Nick said innocently, cut short when he was interrupted-

"Guys… focus," Grizzoli ordered.

Each of them responded with a simultaneous;

"Sorry…"

Grizzoli rubbed his forehead vigorously for a moment before continuing;

"I think we need to scope out the situation before we make a plan of attack," he proposed, retrieving his M16 from his back.

"And when the plan goes to sh*t?" Mchorn questioned, also moving to grip his M240.

"We improvise… like we've done every time before,"

"Fair enough,"

"Technically we're already improvising…" Catherine added, as she loaded her R700.

"Then we just improvise some more… against all the odds," Grizzoli countered.

"Outnumbered and outgunned… whoopty-fu*kin-doo," Delgato joked, equipping his M14 EBR in his paws.

"Been there, done that already," Fang interjected, pulling the charging handle on his ACR; "Might as well just grit our teeth and get on with it,"

"Well…" Nick raised his voice, climbing down from the crate and cocking his MP7, "… I'm ready to go when you guys are…"

They all looked to the Fox, astounded at his resilience considering he was at deaths door not but a few minutes ago, and against all the odds, had returned.

Grizzoli started climbing the stairs from the basement before looking back to his squad, continuing with a grin;

"Then let's get moving…"

…

* * *

With re-found determination and ever stronger comradery, the SWAT Team continued onwards. Nick led the way, travelling through the labyrinth of alleyways towards the centre of the Confinement Zone where the old stone building resided, determined to save one of their own, a colleague, and a friend.

In the distance, the faraway popping from the other teams gunfire could still be heard even this long after they started. It seemed the other squads were at a stalemate, so it was still down to them to finish this.

After being split up, the Team had taken a diagonal path through the Confinement Zone, meaning the Church was still another four blocks away. However, now that they were reunited they were stronger together, and as of yet, unopposed since leaving the warehouse. Before they knew it, they had travelled the distance using the secluded back alleys without drawing any attention to themselves.

The group of cops found themselves in another back alley, behind a row of shops with apartments above them that stood before the road… beyond it: the churchyard.

Quietly opening a backdoor, Fang took point as usual, with his shotgun raised. The way entered into the back storage room of a small shop- much like the one they had cut through earlier during their first encounter. Fang continued through the next door, the rest of the group following through into a hallway, a set of doors leading to a staircase and another doorway to the shop area the other end.

Despite only being a small shop (by the looks of it, a former newsagents) the place was big enough for larger mammals, even though Mchorn was having to shuffle himself through the doorways, being the largest of them. Fang moved into the store to make sure it wasn't too exposed, entering and checking using the empty display shelves as cover. The shop front was a set of large display windows but the front shutter was more than halfway down, restricting the light inside… and from anyone else looking in, or looking out.

"Think we're clear here," Fang whispered, as the rest of the team moved inside.

"Alright," Grizzoli affirmed, "We'll take a look from upstairs,"

The Lion led the way up the staircase, opening out to a small landing with a door left ajar into the apartment of the former shop owners. Like the other apartments they'd seen today, the place was covered in dust and the aged furniture still remained where it was left in a hurry years before. The place was open plan, with a wide kitchen area and only two doors, one to the hallway landing and stairs for the rest of the apartments above, and the other to the bathroom. The windows the other side of the apartment were very murky; the vacuum seal on the double glazing had obviously broke… but it still managed to give a clean and definite view of their soon-to-be battlefield.

As the rest of the team filed inside, making sure to be as quiet as possible, Delgato moved over to the windows, staying directly out of view. He crouched down below the windowsill and raised his rifle to look down the scope, gazing through the old and murky double glazing across the overgrown churchyard outside.

"How's it look?" Grizzoli questioned, coming to crouch next to him.

"Can't tell very well… but there's a fair few," the Tiger answered, "At least twenty; all with guns…"

"Let me see…"

Delgato offered his rifle, allowing Grizzoli to look down the 12x scope. He gazed up the churchyard, where sure enough, there were a group of armed mammals: approximately twenty on a quick count… sitting or standing or gradually pacing very close to the church entrance below the bell tower on the far side of the graveyard.

"There might be more inside…" the Lion said as he handed the rifle back to Delgato, "The main door is on the far side,"

"Any sign of the sniper?" Mchorn asked.

Delgato took another look through his scope, gazing at the church tower… with no mammal in view at all.

"No sight…" he answered.

"Me neither…" Catherine added, having looked down her own rifle scope through the other window, "…But that doesn't mean he's not there,"

"Let's have a look…" Fang said, Catherine responding by handing him her sniper rifle.

Fang took a long look down the rifle scope, while Delgato offered Mchorn his weapon, also taking a look himself down the telescopic sight.

"Ah c'mon, we can take 'em," Fang said eagerly, handing the rifle to Nick.

"There's a lot out there…" Mchorn grumbled.

"But we've got something they don't this time…" Nick interjected as he broke his own stare from the rifle scope, continuing as the others looked to him; "… The element of surprise,"

"Exactly…" Grizzoli acclaimed, "And I think I've got a plan…"

They moved to the back of the apartment, huddling together by the open plan kitchen and staying silent as Grizzoli spoke out his very brief plan. He turned to the Snow Leopard first;

"Catherine, you go to the rooftop as our sniper support… keep us covered, but take a shot at the sniper when and if you can…"

He then turned to the Fox and the Wolf;

"Nick, Fang, you're with me… we'll advance up the churchyard using the gravestones as cover taking out anyone who gets in our way…"

Then he turned to the Rhino and the Tiger;

"Rick, keep the sniper suppressed, and Seb you keep him covered… move up following us three as we go…"

Before they finished, Grizzoli turned back to the Snow Leopard;

"Catherine… the party starts on your shot… wait until we're all in position, and as soon as you drop the first guy, we all go loud,"

"Got it," she replied sternly.

"Ok… Everybody ready?"

All the SWAT Team nodded to the Sergeant.

"Alright… Let's move; get to positions…"

…

* * *

They split up. Catherine taking the door to the hallway and the stairs that led to the roof, while the others returned downstairs through the store.

They moved with silent haste… Fang reached the front door of the shop, twisting the latch to unlock it. The glass panel entrance swung inwards, opening up to the pavement outside. The front shutter restricted the height for them to get out… although this was one of the times where Nick did appreciate being a smaller mammal; he barely had to duck underneath the shutter, whereas the others did; Mchorn had to push it upwards to let himself out… thankfully not making much noise.

They crossed the road quickly and silently to reach the tall brick wall of the churchyard the opposite side; huddling around the gate entrance to the graveyard, Nick, Fang and Grizzoli the one side… Delgato and Mchorn on the other… all waiting for Catherine's cue to go…

…

The silence again… was impeccable.

Nick could once again feel his heart slamming into his Kevlar vest. This time though… he didn't feel afraid. While he was still nervous, the adrenaline of the coming shootout kept his resolve.

As the moments went by while Catherine found a suitable snipers perch, Nick glanced back across the road… noticing his reflection in the store fronts the opposite side. Even from this distance, Nick could see himself clearly- a stark contrast to the Fox that stared back at him just over an hour earlier. If he didn't recognise himself then, he definitely didn't now. His physical state made him look battle-hardened… as battle hardened the rest of his squad were.

He still wore the uniform- minus the helmet… but now his SWAT tactical gear was covered in dirt and dust and impacts from shrapnel. The parts of his fur that were visible were untidy and ruffled, with more dirt, and dried blood… not all of it his own. The cut from the machete blade across his cheek had marked his face prominently and he was sure the back of his head was slightly swollen from his impact of the car windshield. Bandages almost encased his left arm… the only one of his bandaged injuries that was visible.

Nick had never thought when joining SWAT he'd end up like this… despite knowing what the Team's often got themselves into…

But this had been no ordinary raid… this was a battle- a test of life and death.

And so far Nick had passed.

Right now, all he wanted was just to go home, have a shower, sit and watch some TV and play on his phone…

But there was something he wanted more.

…

He wanted to see Judy- her shimmering eyes and loving smile.

He wanted to tell her.

Tell her he loved her.

…

But he'd have to wait for that… as like the rest of his comrades next to him, who would also rather be anywhere else in the world right now…

He still had a job to do.

A ruthless criminal to arrest.

No matter how many others he and the rest of his Team had to go through…

Roan Fyodorov would be behind bars or dead before this day was over.

Nick re-found the expression of determination he started the day with, and looked away from the store front with his own judging reflection. He heard movement next to him; Grizzoli had lifted his arm to give a thumbs up to the rooftop behind them, where Catherine was giving sniper support.

The Fox looked forward to the gate entrance, with Grizzoli and Fang in front of him… just as the Wolf glanced backwards at him, asking;

"You ready?-"

After a pause, Nick answered; "Yea…"

"-You look ready…"

The Fox and the Wolf smirked at each other, and clutched their weapons firm in their paws… waiting for their cue.

…

* * *

The climb up the stairs was surprisingly tiring… running with full tactical gear was difficult enough _without_ the gradual ascent- even if it was only up three flights of stairs. Nevertheless Catherine persevered; this was the easy bit of the next few minutes anyway, and she knew it.

Reaching the roof access she paused a moment to catch her breath, and began to breath deep and long to steady her pulse before taking her sniping position.

The Snow Leopard turned to face the roof access door; very carefully and quietly pulling the handle down-

Thanking her lucky stars she didn't have to go searching for a key when the steel door swung free.

Catherine looked away from the outside as the shining morning sunlight illuminated the darkened stairwell. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the brightness before making a move out the door… immediately reaching the cover of a roof air conditioner.

She peered from behind the cover, clearly seeing the church on the adjacent block. A quick peek through her R700's scope showed her there was still no sniper visible in the tower. That meant to her the coast was clear. Catherine made a quick bolt to the edge of the building, the drop before it blocked by a brick dwarf wall with a concrete coping stone.

Now she peeked over the wall, looking down upon the churchyard. It was immensely overgrown, enough so that much of the tall grass had fallen flat under its own weight. In amongst the sea of sickly yellow and brown grass were many large gravestones and several trees that had gone unpruned for years.

But right now the unkempt state of the graveyard wasn't what Catherine was looking at. She was looking at the group of criminals the far side. She raised her rifle and peered down the scope and counted them again.

Twenty mammals of different sizes. All predators. All armed with a mix of weaponry.

She guessed her current range to be between 100 to 150 metres… a distance very unlikely to affect her shot.

She made one last glance to check; Catherine peeked over the dwarf wall of her rooftop sniper nest, noticing the rest of the SWAT Team below her by the gate to churchyard, waiting for her shot as their cue; Grizzoli gave her a thumbs up to indicate they were ready.

She leaned back to take a kneeling stance, her tail curled behind her to give her more balance, her right leg across the warm bitumen roofing and her left leg bent with her knee up, allowing her to lean her left elbow on her elevated leg to create a firm platform for her sniper rifle. She positioned the weapon firmly on the coping stone of the wall, giving her an even more stable shooting position.

The Snow Leopard aimed down the 15x telescopic scope of her sniper rifle… the crosshairs fixed at the group of criminals up the churchyard, but even with her sound positon, the scope was shaky…

Catherine took a deep inhale.

And a long exhale.

She repeated.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"Alright baby…" Catherine whispered, confidently, speaking to her trusty sniper rifle, "… Time to preach to the choir…"

One more inhale… she held it strong.

And the crosshair ceased to shake… giving her a clean and easy shot…

…

* * *

Not so far away- literally across the road and an overgrown graveyard, still inside the church… Michael Wolford remained tied to the chair placed before the crumbling alter.

He hadn't moved much since the minutes had gone by… nearly the full hour Roan had given him to live.

At the moment, as he thought to himself during his exsanguination… he was somewhat grateful… compared to the fates of the Officers who had previously tried to infiltrate Fyodorov's organisation, he'd gotten off lightly.

For the simple fact that he was still alive…

For now.

Whatever colour his shirt used to be was only distinguishable by the little area that had not been drenched in his blood from the stab wound in his left shoulder… the same could easily be said for the right leg of his jeans, from the stab wound in his thigh.

Wolford held his head low, his muscles limp and his breath light and fading. He had very little energy, and his pale skin underneath his fur had definitely reduced its shine.

Anyone who saw him would not mistake it.

He was a dying wolf.

…

But it was all an act.

Most of it anyway.

Since he had been left to bleed out he had stayed silent… trying not to bring much attention to himself as the three armed mammals that were guarding him gradually started to slack as the time went by, lessening their vigilance. His bleeding had stopped a while ago… from then on he had been, literally, playing (half) dead.

Wolford was good at acting; undercover cops had to be if they wanted to _stay_ undercover. Unfortunately it hadn't been enough this time… even after the things he'd been forced to do to keep his cover. In the end it had seen him placed on this chair before the alter of a church, as some kind of divine sacrifice… with his paws secured behind him, with a long piece of rope…

Idiots.

It seemed that in their confidence, and cop killing endeavour… these criminals had forgotten that wolves had claws.

Ever since Roan had left the Church, Wolford had been slowly but surely cutting the rope with his own… unseen by his armed guards. Now all he needed, was one more cut.

He'd just been waiting for the opportune moment.

Which soon came-

When the sound of a close gunshot from a sniper rifle echoed from outside the church…


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Just wanted to take the time for a big thank you; my last chapter got more than double the amount of views I usually get for an upload... So very big thank you! Especially for the wonderful reviews, and more favs and follows. I think I speak for most fanfic writers that we love getting recognition for our work :)**

 **As for today, I have made some minor edits in other chapters, including a new paragraph in chapter 1 and just a few word changes here and there… and as always, a new chapter. Grab the popcorn for this one, and enjoy! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 12

 _ **'Shootout on God's Doorstep'**_

* * *

"You ready?" Fang asked

After a pause, Nick answered; "Yea…"

"-You look ready…"

The Fox and the Wolf smirked at each other, and clutched their weapons firm in their paws… waiting for their cue.

…

* * *

-"Alright baby…" Catherine whispered, confidently, speaking to her trusty sniper rifle, "… Time to preach to the choir…"

One more inhale… she held it strong.

And the crosshair ceased to shake… giving her a clean and easy shot…

Catherine pulled the trigger… the firing pin hit the primer, igniting the gunpowder inside the brass casing… propelling the .338 bullet from the weapon barrel with a deafening roar…

* * *

"NOW!" Grizzoli yelled.

He turned the corner of the gate, leading his team through with his M16 raised… firing up the pathway of the churchyard as the crowd of armed mammals (minus one) scrambled to cover.

Nick and Fang followed through, making a dash for the refuge of a large gravestone; when reaching it Fang immediately affirmed his positon to fire his ACR, while Nick stayed down, deciding to conserve his ammo until he was closer.

As soon as the other three were clear, Delgato turned the corner of the entrance, taking a quick scope of the faraway rabble of mammals and firing a bullet of his own which landed in the chest of another.

Mchorn didn't waste any time himself, as he entered the graveyard he lifted the barrel of his machinegun upwards, witnessing a figure appear in the church tower at a distance. He fired his M240 in short sharp bursts to suppress the enemy sniper…

* * *

The Cheetah; Tatizo Duma… was honestly ashamed of himself that he'd been caught off guard. He had made his sniper's nest in the bell room as it gave him a full 360 degree viewpoint of the surrounding area, even if it meant sharing the place with the gargantuan bronze bells that never chimed due to the broken clock, as well as his own stockpile of ammunition and the missiles for the SAM launcher on the tower roof.

As soon as the first gunshot of the shootout had occurred, Duma sprung to life from reading his book… an old unkempt version of the Holy Bible, with no front cover and many loose pages.

Cheetahs were fast… Duma was no exception. In a split second after the first gunshot he placed the book down and grabbed his sniper rifle, moving over to the closest window that gave him a view of the shootout below.

He quickly raised his .50 sniper rifle, looking down the scope at the SWAT Team that had appeared from nowhere… barely having the chance to take a proper aim before a volley of bullets directed at his window forced him to retreat inside.

He made a quick glimpse from the opening before he recoiled again… it was the Rhino shooting at him. Only a few of the bullets fired made it through the window, ricocheting off the bells with metallic clangs… the rest impacted the stone outside, chipping the arched window of its architectural features.

Duma snarled as he backed away from the window again as more bullets flew his way. His calm quickly became agitated as he knew what his enemy was doing: trying to overwhelm his position so he couldn't shoot back. It was respectable at least the cops knew their tactics, but it made the Cheetah angry, considering this was the same SWAT Team that managed to escape his deadeye earlier, mostly due to luck or happenstance.

It's a good thing then that Duma was in the mood for a fight…

* * *

As soon as he heard the shot from the sniper rifle, his ears perked up…

Wolford didn't move just yet, he waited to see if the gunfire would continue.

It did more than that. A mere second he had to wait until a symphony of bangs, cracks and pops echoed from outside the church, alerting his three armed guards: the black bear, the wolf and the hyena.

"The hell is goin on out there…?" the black bear muttered. He turned to the other two mammals; "You two, go find out what's goin on!"

Clearly quite reluctant to take the bear's order with a disgruntled scowl, the wolf and the hyena began to run down the centre aisle of the church to the exit.

As they departed, Wolford cut through the last strand of the rope tied around his paws, releasing him from his sacrificial throne.

But he didn't move yet.

He stayed clasping the rope: at the moment it was his only weapon.

He started to calm his breathing, taking large inhales… it was certain what he was going to do would cause a lot of pain to his knife wounds, or just pain in general… and that was the best case scenario.

Even when he would be in a peak condition, taking on a bear was not an easy thing to do…

* * *

In a split second, the Snow Leopard pulled the bolt back on her sniper rifle… ejecting the used cartridge, and pushed it forward to load another round.

Her first shot had been the opening act to the concert of gunfire, Catherine looked back down her scope, seeing the group of armed criminals scrambling for cover amongst the gravestones… she also saw the one she had shot, dead on the floor, and another not far away, both in a puddle of their own blood.

The Snow Leopard changed her aim to the church tower, where sure enough… a figure stood in one of the bell room windows before quickly recoiling.

Mchorn's machinegun fire had the enemy sniper successfully suppressed, so Catherine adjusted her aim back to the battle below, remembering the check the tower whenever she had the chance.

* * *

The ballistic symphony continued as the SWAT Team moved up the churchyard, instigating and returning gunfire with the armed criminals. There were many large gravestones dotted throughout the overgrown grass of the yard, so they weren't short of cover… but neither was their enemy.

The sun was behind them, meaning the Police had the better visibility without any solar glare. The many conflicting air currents of the light day breeze and the sharp bullet paths made the thick sickly grass sway ever so slightly. It was both an advantage, and a hindrance. At places some of the shrubbery was so tall and thick it was impossible to see through, and gave false hope as shelter from the flying lead as the bullets passed straight through. However, it also meant there were plenty of small paths where the greenery was less overgrown that the SWAT Team could flank around the shooters.

And that's exactly what they did…

While in a spate of gunfire, Nick, Fang and Grizzoli were quickly pinned down by three of the armed criminals behind a large gravestone. However, a hidden and clear path round the wild flora made an opening for a flanking manoeuvre.

Sheltering behind the huge granite tomb, Grizzoli made the necessary paw signal to the Fox and the Wolf. Nick and Fang immediately understood and swiftly creeped through the tall grass unseen while Grizzoli kept the shooters attention. They came out just behind them; a badger, a leopard and a lynx…

Now Nick decide to fire his weapon… a quick burst from his surprisingly powerful submachinegun gunned down the badger, while Fang slew the other two shooters.

Even with the pep talk from Catherine earlier and the obvious kill-or-be-killed situation, Nick couldn't help but still feel remorse of killing another mammal…

But he didn't let it get to him.

He would most likely have to do it again, considering he was still being shot at.

He and Fang moved up to another set of the gravestone shields as Grizzoli gave them covering fire.

After a quick reload of his empty magazine, Fang peeked from the new cover, preparing to fire the last mag of his rifle- he was stopped abruptly as he witnessed a fairly portly polar bear had just taken a sound position with an MG3 machinegun, priming to fire.

Fang looked backwards to the rest of his squad, instantly raising his left arm with his paw horizontal, before quickly bringing it downwards, yelling;

"DOWN!"

Even through the ballistic symphony, the others heard him. They ducked as low as possible… just in time as the polar bear's bullet hose unleashed a stream of supersonic lead down the yard with an unrelenting repetition of loud bangs…

For about two seconds-

* * *

Catherine had noticed the portly bear… she couldn't exactly miss him.

A fairly quick aim, and the crosshairs of her scope were fixed on the bear's head.

With a resounding crack of her sniper rifle, the bear's white fur turned red, with a gentle crimson mist behind it.

"We'll have none of that thank you…" Catherine sneered.

Another pull of the bolt on her sniper rifle, and her weapon was once again ready to fire…

* * *

Duma saw his chance, after displacing to another window, the gap in the SWAT Team's fire finally allowed him to shoot back.

He twisted round, his sniper rifle held firm as he aimed down to the churchyard before pulling the trigger hard. The loud crack echoed as the recoil blasted the stock into his shoulder, sending the huge bullet towards the Police…

* * *

Grizzoli had to duck further as the gravestone he was sheltering behind was practically torn in half as the sniper's bullet impacted the stone.

With his position exposed, the Lion dived to the ground, crawling towards Nick and Fang's cover, using the same route through the undergrowth they had used just before.

* * *

Mchorn brought his machinegun back to aim at the tower, just the moment the gravestone he was sheltering behind was blasted to bits by another of the enemy sniper's bullets.

He pulled the trigger hard, the stream of bullets from his machinegun pounding the bell tower… forcing the sniper back into his nest.

The Rhino was very exposed to the rest of the armed criminals, but he couldn't hold his fire lest the sniper got a better shot on them. Mchorn shuffled gradually through the grass to find another larger gravestone for cover, unaware he was being targeted by the armed mammals up the churchyard…

But he wasn't worried.

Keeping him covered was Delgato's job:

The Tiger was already aiming up the yard as Mchorn was moving-

Quickly putting a bullet in two of the criminals trying to shoot his exposed comrade, with two hard pulls of the trigger.

…

* * *

Inside the church, Wolford still sat patiently on his chair.

He looked up, analysing his foe; the single black bear that had been left on his own. The bear had his back to the supposedly retrained Wolf, an M60 machinegun in his paws with the ammo belt draped over his arm.

Slowly, Wolford rose from his chair, the coil of rope still clasped in his paws, carefully stepping so as not to cause pain to his knife wounds-

That was near impossible.

As soon as the Wolf stood, he gasped in pain… luckily the symphony of gunfire outside muffled his agonised grunt.

But the Wolf persisted, allowing himself to pant to suppress the pain. Ever so slowly he skulked forwards, pulling the rope taut with his paws.

The bear was completely unaware the Wolf was right behind him-

Until he felt a rope coil tightly round his neck…

Wolford jumped on the bear's back (as much as he could with his injured leg), and brought the rope over his head to wrap around the bear's neck, strangling him. He put all his weight behind that rope, making the bear gasp for air as it constricted his airway, dropping his machinegun to the ground as he tried to pry the rope away.

The struggle continued for roughly five seconds before the other two armed mammals returned, quite abruptly. The wolf spoke first;

"It's the cops! They're-"

He was quickly cut off by the sight of the struggle the far end of the centre aisle.

"Son of a-!" the hyena growled, raising his rifle.

The wolf did the same.

The bear's eyes widened at their actions; he managed to pull the rope from his neck a moment just to plead;

"NO, WAIT-WAIT-WAIT-"

There was definitely no honour amongst these thieves… or killers, in this case.

The wolf and the hyena opened fire.

The bear's feeble plea and the following loud bangs echoing throughout the old church alerted Wolford to the coming ballistic barrage. He was forced to drop the rope and crouch behind the bear to use him as a (non-)living shield from the bullets flying his direction.

The sickening squelching sound of bullets impacting flesh and splattering blood could just about be heard over the echoing gunshots as the bear took the brunt of the ballistic fire. The limp and lumbering dead mammal eventually collapsed, forcing Wolford to drop to the cold stone floor behind the corpse.

In the heat of the moment and a daring reach across the floor, Wolford grasped the trigger of the dead bear's M60 machinegun that had been dropped to the floor… conveniently already aiming down the aisle at the two shooters. In the split second after grabbing the trigger, he pulled it… firing his own ballistic barrage to defend himself before the two shooters could change their aim…

They barely had time to take cover either.

Wolford's wild machinegun fire tore down the church aisle, kicking up the dust around him as the wolf and hyena just about managed to dive out of the way, with a mere few bullets passing by inches.

Wolford didn't relent from firing his weapon as the wolf and hyena took shelter, the only exception was when he returned to his shaky feet, continuing to suppress the two armed criminals hiding behind the stone pillars either side of the centre aisle. Wolford moved backwards towards his old chair and the crumbling stone alter- being that it was the only thing he could use for cover. The combination of his limped steps, and the recoil and weight of the machinegun itself and dragging the M60's heavy bullet chain across the floor made it a difficult exercise, but he eventually made it, taking shelter behind the holy table and holding fire-

"You're rather spritely for a dead wolf!" the hyena mocked loudly.

"Not dead yet!" Wolford replied.

"Sa'shame you had to be a cop… I actually kinda liked ya," the opposing wolf spoke; "What's your real name again?"

"Mike… Mike Wolford…"

"Wolford… and you're a wolf…" the other wolf scorned, "Real _fu*king_ original!"

Peeking from the pillar, he took a shot at the altar, making Wolford duck lower behind it. The hyena followed, also taking a short burst…

Only just retreating to the cover of the pillar as Wolford returned fire with his far more deadly machinegun- chipping the stone from the edge of the column.

"You know you aint getting out of this…" the hyena shouted, "…there's two of us and only one of you!"

Wolford lightly smiled to himself behind the altar;

"I think I can manage…"

…

* * *

Back outside, the shootout raged on.

After dealing with the polar bear, and taking out another of the shooters, Catherine had readjusted the aim of her sniper rifle back to the church tower, after the enemy sniper's few deafening shots at her teammates in the churchyard.

Luckily she could see, none of her friends had been hit.

Down in the yard, Mchorn still had the tower suppressed, forcing the sniper to retreat to his nest.

But Catherine didn't take her eye off the tower…

She waited till the sniper appeared again… in a situation where one was suppressed, it was procedure to displace and find a new and safe shooting position-

So as soon as the sniper's silhouette appeared in another of the bell room windows, Catherine fired…

Forced back by the Rhino's machinegun fire again, Duma displaced to another window, currently not being barraged with bullets; it was one of the three he could see the shootout from.

With a swift spin on his foot, the Cheetah looked from the window, lifting his Barrett .50 up to take aim-

Quickly noticing, in the corner of his eye- the distinctive little faraway glint of an opposing sniper scope.

Duma leaned backwards… just in time as he was forced to duck as a bullet slammed into the stone window frame he had been leaning from, chipping a large portion of it away into his face.

Now he really was angry… not only was he being suppressed, he was being counter-sniped.

So Duma decided, he had to take out the police sniper first…

* * *

Down on the ground in the overgrown churchyard, the SWAT Team still pushed further forward, closing the gap between them and the armed criminals, continuing to exchange gunfire as they moved from cover to cover.

However, as Nick, Fang and Grizzoli advanced, they quickly became pinned by a small group, dotted across the area in front of them.

As bullets slammed into the opposite side of the gravestone, Fang lifted his rifle above him, blind firing it wildly to suppress the armed criminals…

Until his ACR ran dry of ammunition.

"Damn it," the Wolf muttered, tossing the empty weapon aside and drawing his shotgun from his back.

Grizzoli was completely pinned behind his cover of a tall oak tree, not even able to blind fire his weapon without risking getting shot.

During the shootout, Nick noticed, as the other two were distracted, one of the plucky criminals was about to lob a grenade their direction…

He quickly put a stop to that.

As the criminal- a wolverine, rose to throw the explosive, Nick peered sideways from the headstone he was sheltering behind, firing a burst from his SMG- a single bullet striking the unlucky wolverine in the head… leaving a gaping hole in the mustelid's skull.

The live grenade just dropped to the ground… unknowingly to the other armed mammal that was using the same cover. The eventual explosion killed him too.

As Nick came to fire again, he realised that burst had used the last of his MP7's ammo. He tossed it aside, and un-holstered his G17, holding it firmly in his paws and continuing the shootout.

The sudden grenade explosion forced a gap in the other enemy combatant's fire as they took cover; Fang took advantage of this;

"Cover me!" Fang yelled, "I'm goin in close!"

Nick and Grizzoli obliged. The Fox peeked from the edge of his tombstone cover, now firing his handgun with several taps of the trigger, while the Lion fired his assault rifle in short bursts from the cover of the tree.

Fang leaped over his cover, running headfirst at the shooters, staying low with his tail outstretched behind to balance him. He swiftly moved up to the gravestones the armed criminals where using for cover the other side. The sudden appearance of the White Wolf in SWAT uniform startled the two armed mammals as he stood before them aiming his shotgun-

One.

Two.

Pulls of the trigger and the criminals were down for good-

But Fang didn't see the third; another wolf… who had his own shotgun drawn, and aimed at him-

A sudden eruption of blood from the canid's chest and a loud far-off crack quickly brought him down.

Fang ducked behind the closest cover of another gravestone… looking back the way he came to the building rooftop, with the friendly scope glint and figure of a Snow Leopard atop it…

He mouthed;

"Thanks…"

* * *

"You're welcome…" Catherine smirked, still aiming down the scope of her sniper rifle.

With her friend (and love interest) in the clear, the Snow Leopard once again quickly changed her aim to the church tower- catching another glimpse of a feline silhouette…

And a scope glint.

That split second Catherine realised the sniper was aiming at her.

With the quickest pull of her sniper rifle's bolt action she had ever made, Catherine lined up and fired… a poorly aimed shot...

But not before the enemy sniper managed to fire a round of his own-

The Snow Leopard flinched, ducking below the dwarf wall as the echoing crack perforated her hearing.

The shot had clearly missed her, but Catherine almost fainted with shock when she witnessed the wall but a foot from her position explode as the enemy sniper's bullet tore through it, blasting the clay bricks apart.

"Woah…" she said nervously, as she noticed by the sound, and the size of the hole that had been left in the wall, "That's a .50…"

Crouching down behind the wall, Catherine displaced from her current position to throw the sniper off if he fired again. She didn't move far, but it was at least five metres across the roof, still giving her a clear view of the battle in the graveyard, and a clear shot on the church tower.

…

* * *

While the shootout outside was further escalating, the shootout inside was soon to end.

As Wolford exchanged gunfire with the two armed criminals, the bullet chain for his machinegun was getting shorter and shorter. As it seemed, his major blood loss had definitely faltered his performance and concentration. The wolf and hyena were still going strong, and using far less ammo.

As they stayed sheltered from the police officer's gunfire, they quickly glanced at each other.

"Go round the side, and frag him…" the hyena ordered.

The wolf nodded, preparing himself as he crouched down low. The canine rolled from the bottom of the pillar, staying low, out of line of sight of the opposing cop.

The hyena peered from the opposite side of the stone column to acquire the cop's attention, achieving it instantly.

Wolford took barely a glance at what was left of his ammunition… a quick guess of no more than fifteen rounds. It was appropriate to say after being tied up and left to bleed out he had been feeling a little trigger happy… so when he saw the hyena peer from the column the opposite end of the church firing his AK, he quickly returned fire without regard for the little ammo he had left-

But that's when he saw the wolf was skulking down the side aisle, and quickly changed his aim…

As the wolf got closer, he quickly revealed himself as he could see the cop aiming at him- firing several rounds from his own Kalashnikov to deter any ballistic response, after which he quickly dropped his rifle, grasped one of the grenades on his belt, and pulled the pin…

The gap in the opposing wolf's gunfire allowed Wolford to reacquire his target; dropping to the side of the alter he aimed his weapon at his enemy and fired as the other wolf let loose his grenade-

Which had barely left his paw… when one lucky shot of Wolford's last few bullets collided with the deadly sphere- detonating it prematurely with a huge burst of flame and a loud boom that echoed throughout the church.

The hyena glanced from his position behind the pillar, just in time to see his comrade- or more specifically: what was left of him, drop to the cold stone floor.

"Motherfu*ker…" the hyena growled.

Leaning further round the pillar, he sprayed a series of bullets from his weapon that collided with the top of the church altar in retaliation.

Wolford peeked from the side, pulling the trigger of his MG… only just now coming to realise, at the sound of a quiet click… he'd just used the last of the M60's ammo.

Nevertheless, as he returned behind the stone table, he shouted confidently;

"One on one now!"

"Yea, I'd be breaking a sweat…" the hyena growled, "If you hadn't just ran out of bullets!-"

Now with no chance of any return gunfire, the hyena confidently strolled from behind the stone pillar down the centre aisle- firing his rifle at the altar as he went.

Wolford ducked down low… realising how much of an idiot he had just been now that he had no means to defend himself. He'd have to resort to paw-to-paw combat.

The hyena continued to stroll down the centre aisle, firing his weapon with barely any effort into aiming it… it didn't really matter, he still had several full magazines left, and as soon as he reached the altar, he'd put the undercover cop down for good.

But as he took the time to reload and pull the charging handle… the hyena wasn't expecting what came next…

Putting as much effort in as possible, Wolford lifted the useless machinegun over his head and threw it at the hyena- the heavy MG flying over the altar and colliding on target as it disarmed the criminal, his rifle falling to his side, dangling from the carry strap as he staggered backwards.

Wolford stormed from behind his cover, as fast as he could even with the pain from his knife injuries repressed with adrenaline. He threw a punch… striking the hyena's face, and another…

Which was abruptly stopped as the hyena grabbed his wrist mid swing, and then head-butted the Wolf in his snout.

Wolford now staggered backwards, left lightly dazed and then constricted as the hyena pushed a paw to his throat.

"Choke on it, cop!" the hyena growled.

Wolford certainly was choking… he brought his own paws up to pry the hyena away from his throat… but instead, in a desperate move, he trust his left paw downwards… at the risk of shooting his own foot as he found the trigger of the hyena's AK47, and pulled it hard-

Several quick bangs echoed between them… the resulting bullets luckily missing the Wolf, but one did land straight into the hyena's foot.

He recoiled with a howl as the pain engulfed him, pulling backwards with a slight hop.

Wolford saw his chance. As the hyena backed away the Wolf grabbed the collar of the criminal's shirt, and dragged him round so his back was leaning against the crumbling stone altar. A swift punch to the hyena's snout dazed him easily and made him lean further backwards before Wolford swiftly and brutally punched directly into the hyena's exposed neck… collapsing his airway, and left him choking on his own blood.

"Choke on that…" Wolford grunted, letting the dying hyena slide off the altar to drop to the ground.

…

* * *

As she had displaced, Catherine took the time to reload before reasserting her aim… waiting until the sniper reappeared again as her scope became fixed on the church tower.

She managed to pull the trigger once as the sniper reappeared…

At a different window.

Catherine's shot missed by far, and now she had given her position away.

A loud bang echoed and the wall beside her erupted as the sniper's bullet impacted the bricks… the broken clay shrapnel forcing the Snow Leopard to duck below the top of the wall.

She was glad she had too… Catherine gasped in shock as the concrete coping stone she had been leaning from was split in two by another .50 calibre bullet. If she had still been leaning up… that's bullet would have been the one with her name on it.

She had little place to go for cover… not that cover really mattered as the enemy sniper's .50 calibre bullets would pass through anything she tried to hide behind.

Instead Catherine went prone: lying down on the warm bitumen roof as low as possible, and crawling away as the enemy sniper continued to fire on her position… blasting holes through the wall in an effort to kill her.

Catherine winced after every echoing bang, knowing that any one of those could mean her imminent death.

* * *

The Cheetah didn't relent from pulling the trigger, firing his sniper rifle wildly in a furious frenzy… all through this encounter he had been at a disadvantage: on the receiving end of machinegun and sniper fire, but now he had the upper paw.

Duma kept his aim fixed at the apartment roof where the Snow leopard was cowering from his fearsome weapon.

He could see, through his ultra-zoom scope the police sniper had resulted to laying prone to avoid his shots. With the glances he got he now took his time, managing his breathing as he lined up a kill shot on the Snow Leopard…

And pulled the trigger-

Only a quiet click came from his weapon.

Duma snarled to himself as he lowered his sniper rifle, falling back from the window to reload just as the police sniper fired back-

* * *

In the gap of sniper fire, Catherine took a chance, swiftly leaning up from her prone position to fire two consecutive shots at the bell tower.

She knew it would do little to deter the other sniper. Her heart was pounding behind her SWAT gear as she returned to leaning on the wall. She maintained her aim on the church tower, waiting for a kill shot. In a shootout like this, she had always been the one behind the scope, aiming… never the opposite. She had never came to realise how terrifying it was, especially when battling with a sniper who had a far deadlier weapon than her.

At least she had the option of shooting back. For the next few moments she still held her aim.

But the sniper had not reappeared just yet.

In the brief respite, Catherine listened to the gunfire below her in the churchyard. Without lowering her rifle, or breaking her aim, she took the time to reload herself, before peering over the dwarf wall to check on the others progress…

But that wasn't what immediately caught her attention-

"You've gotta be fu*kin kidding me…" Catherine muttered in disbelief, as she became aware of what she was observing down her scope:

A maned wolf with an-

* * *

"RPG!" Delgato yelled.

He and the others ducked as the rocket propelled grenade was launched with a resounding and echoing boom…

The projectile explosive travelled down the churchyard… poorly aimed as it zoomed over the SWAT Team- the echoing boom repeating when the rocket impacted the graveyard wall the far end, obliterating it into nothing but rubble, and a cloud of dust.

The explosion left a ringing in everyone's sensitive hearing.

"What the fu*k!?" Fang cursed loudly.

"No-one mentioned having to fight perps with fu*kin rocket launchers!" Mchorn hollered to Grizzoli.

The Lion was sheltering behind a large oak tree, reloading his M16 as Mchorn shouted to him.

He was about to respond when another boom resounded near them.

The SWAT Team ducked even lower than they currently were… each of them hoping that rocket wasn't aiming for them.

It wasn't.

The explosive projectile zoomed over their heads again at a slightly higher altitude…

Careening towards the building where their Snow Leopard companion was providing their sniper support.

Fang cried her name in a vain effort to warn her;

"CATHERINE!"

* * *

She had barely any time to react before the rocket was upon her. The Snow Leopard leapt from her spot on the rooftop dragging her sniper rifle with her, jumping sideways just as the rocket crashed into the building below her.

The explosion obliterated the walls… internal and external with a loud boom and crash of glass and breaking bricks. The floor fell from beneath her feet… Catherine was forced to drop her rifle, digging her claws into the rooftop as it collapsed from the explosion.

But eventually the roof gave way too as the unmaintained building collapsed further into itself.

Catherine fell two floors below, into a cloud of heavy dust and rubble. A broken brick struck her head as she fell, drawing blood and putting her in a heavy daze. Her feline righting reflex failed her as she landed hard on her back… releasing only a small groan as she came to rest.

…

* * *

"YOU BA*TARDS!" Fang roared, firing several shells of his shotgun in retaliation… thinking the possibility that Catherine had perished.

His shots landed on empty air or the vertical headstones of the churchyard graves, as the rest of the criminals took cover.

But another resounding boom of the rocket launcher quickly made Fang flinch back down.

The rocket was a clear miss, passing over the police officers before slamming into a tree down the churchyard with another boom splintering the trunk from the impact, with enough force it now became lopsided.

"Seb! Take him down!" Grizzoli ordered.

Delgato had already been trying, but the rocket launcher wielding maned wolf was surprisingly elusive; there was no clear shot on him at all.

"Can't! Bast*rd's hiding!" the Tiger responded.

Grizzoli looked up the yard; there was still a fair few armed criminals between them and the maned wolf with the RPG.

"Then I'll get his attention…" Grizzoli announced.

He reloaded his M16 with his last magazine before he made his daring manoeuvre-

* * *

Quickly glancing from the tower, the Cheetah could see the remains of the police sniper's shooting position, now turned into rubble and a half collapsed building.

A look down the scope of his sniper rifle also confirmed there was no sign of the Snow Leopard… the feline lost in amongst the rubble and dust cloud.

So now there was no need to worry about her.

Duma turned to the window that gave him a clear view of the churchyard…

* * *

Seeing the sniper return to the window, Mchorn once again raised his M240 and pulled the trigger.

His machinegun roared for only a couple of seconds… until it quickly became silent.

"Sh*t!" the Rhino cursed, dropping below his cover.

"What?" Delgato asked.

"I'm out!"

And they both knew what that meant…

* * *

After the brief few impacts, the Rhino had not continued firing at his sniper nest again. He immediately came to the resolution that the cop had ran out of ammo.

So now with no opposition… Duma was so confident he even lifted a foot to the window ledge as he leaned out of it, lifting his sniper rifle up, with a full magazine this time, aiming down at the rest of the cops…

* * *

Once again the sniper rained down from above, forcing the SWAT Team to take cover as best they could from the deadly .50 calibre rain.

Even so… Grizzoli persisted; he practically jumped from his gravestone cover… and made his last mag count, firing in short two or three round bursts as he moved forwards between the gravestones. His aim was precise and accurate… tallying up three kills as he moved forward-

* * *

The Lion's advance had caught the Cheetah's attention… forcing Duma to hold his fire and watch the SWAT officer's progress.

He was quite impressed with the Lion's skill…

But alas, he had to stop him-

As he continued forward, one of the criminals- a bobcat, attempted to attack Grizzoli from behind with a combat knife as the Lion walked past-

A very poorly placed stab allowed Grizzoli to dodge the blade… swiftly swinging round to bring the butt of his rifle to the underside of the bobcat's jaw. During the swift move, Grizzoli let his rifle go, with only a few rounds left… rapidly bringing his right paw down to draw his M1911 from his pistol holster.

A single shot put the bobcat down for good, and Grizzoli racked up another kill as he aimed and fired his pistol up the yard.

The maned wolf had clearly noticed the Lion's advance. Waiting until the large feline had to reload his pistol.

But Grizzoli planned ahead, having already pulled out a new magazine for his handgun in his left paw. Briefly taking shelter behind a taller gravestone, he made the move to reload his handgun-

But a loud crack forced the Lion to duck further down- dropping his spare magazine as one of the snipers bullets ricocheted off the stone, startling him.

That moment, the maned wolf rose from his own cover to aim his RPG.

Grizzoli went to aim his weapon… quickly noticing his blunder as the slide was fully back on the pistol: within the small commotion, he'd forgotten to reload.

…

The maned wolf fired the RPG, with another resounding boom…

…

The rocket came so quickly, all Grizzoli could do was turn to his side and lean away from the rocket…

The warhead slammed into the tall gravestone beside him, obliterating the stone into harsh shrapnel, the blast knocking Grizzoli clean to the ground in a small cloud of kicked up dust.

Where he remained unmoved…

The others could only witness in horror as their friend and team leader fell to the ground, powerless to help him.

"Leonard!" Fang shouted worriedly.

He attempted to reach his fallen friend but was cut off by more gunfire, slamming into the gravestones, and another gaping hole made in the dirt beside him as the sniper changed his aim.

* * *

With the SWAT Team all but pinned by gunfire, the wolf with the RPG didn't suspect much resistance… so he had no idea what would come next once he rose to fire again.

…

With determination for revenge of possibly killing his friend, Delgato already had the russet coloured wolf in his sight… planting a bullet through the canid's skull with a burst of red behind him before he could launch another deadly explosive rocket.

"He's down!-"

The Tiger's yell was cut short when a volley of bullets was sent his way by the remaining criminals… Mchorn swiftly came to Delgato's side pushing him aside as the Rhino pulled himself into the path of the bullets;

"Urrghh…" The Rhino grunted as the rifle rounds slammed into his body armour with several heavy chinks, forcing him over off his already precarious standing position.

Delgato was slightly dazed, as being pushed over by a Rhino would normally do, until he noticed Mchorn was cringing with pain.

"You're hit-" Delgato fretted.

"S'fine…" the Rhino wheezed, "We gotta get to Leonard-"

"But we're pinned-" Delgato responded, interrupted as a volley of bullets impacted the top of the gravestone they were both sheltering behind.

"Not for long-" Mchorn said, "Cover me…"

Delgato nodded in response.

With a thunderous roar Mchorn broke from their cover and charged forward, his steps thundering through the ground with a malicious beat behind them. He continued until he rammed straight into one of the taller gravestones- snapping the stone from the bottom as it fell from his brute force.

It completely startled the jaguar who was hiding behind it, knocking the feline to the floor and dropping his weapon. Mchorn used his empty machinegun as a heavy club… swiftly swinging it to strike the feline across the head with such force it snapped the jaguar's neck.

The Rhino's audacious charge had allowed them to move up further, but both Mchorn and Delgato quickly became held down by gunfire again.

* * *

Duma was really stuck for choice on targets now… continuously changing his aim as his remaining comrades below stopped the police from moving any further forward.

He wasn't even going for kill shots…

He fired with a malevolent grin on his muzzle… toying with his prey.

…

A decision he was soon to regret…

* * *

Currently Nick stayed sheltered behind yet another headstone, occasionally shooting a couple of rounds from his pistol.

As he looked around at the rest of his team it became clear to him now that with no sniper support, a mammal down (quite possibly two), limited or no ammo, and all of them pinned by gunfire...

This called for improvisation.

…

As he peered forward up the churchyard, an idea formulated inside his mind…

Whether it would work was beside the point.

…

Nick turned to the White Wolf not far from him.

"Fang, cover me!"

"What're you doing!?" he asked, not expecting such a daring move from the rookie.

"Improvising!"

Fang nodded;

"Go! I gotcha!"

The Wolf did the best he could as the Fox went into action, using the last few shells of his shotgun to suppress any criminals that tried to shoot his friend.

Nick used his smaller size to his advantage, bolting from his cover staying low and fast, cutting through the tall grass and the mass of gravestones. He kept his tail close behind him, taking pauses every time before he moved to the next stone shield, firing rounds from his pistol every so often until he reached the dead maned wolf.

Nick ignored the body, going to grab the RPG instead.

He quickly moved behind a row of small gravestones as a volley of bullets was sent his way, reaching back to drag the rocket launcher with him.

Nick looked over the RPG7, with completely no idea how to use it, and suddenly second guessing his improvised plan.

But right now he didn't really have the time to ponder… the thing was loaded, and it had a trigger-

That's all that mattered.

Plus he'd seen RPG's been used in films and videogames…

How hard could it be?

…

"To hell with it…" Nick muttered to himself.

With a gap in the criminal's gunfire, Nick darted from his cover, exposing himself completely, the oversized rocket launcher in his paws, and lifted it till the explosive warhead was pointed towards the top of the church tower-

* * *

With the sudden move from the smallest of the cops… the Fox… Duma changed his aim…

Just in time to see the vulpine aiming the rocket launcher upwards.

At him.

The Cheetah's eyes widened in surprise…

* * *

As he aimed the RPG, Nick couldn't help but to paraphrase a line from one of his favourite comedies;

"OH LORD! BLESS THIS THY ROCKET PROPELLED GRENADE!-"

* * *

Hearing Nick's (rather odd) words, Fang peered from his cover… witnessing his friend wielding the rocket launcher.

And he mumbled;

"Oh sh*t…"

* * *

Nick pulled the trigger… sending the rocket flying with another resounding boom.

The back-blast knocked him from his feet, but the blessed rocket fired true.

It didn't have very far to travel…

And it hit bang on target.

The rocket entered though the bell tower window, traveling until it slammed into the ceiling... exploding on impact-

And igniting the stockpile of ammunition, explosives and missiles for the rooftop SAM launcher…

The stone monolith burst into a blinding flame that expanded so brightly to rival the morning sunshine, creating a thunderous explosion that echoed for miles around and with enough force it blasted the old stone to pieces, forcing the tower to crumble and fall. The brass bells became dented as they fell from the rafters, clanging loudly like a Sunday morning symphony as they too collapsed with the church tower.

As the blasted stone fell to the ground, an enormous dust cloud encompassed the entire churchyard, the ground shaking like an earthquake as the largest pieces of stone crashed to the ground-

Until the scene of the previous shootout of the last few minutes suddenly became ever so quiet…


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Errrgh… These fortnightly updates are annoying, I hope they aren't too spaced out for you readers? Other things have just been getting in the way, especially with Christmas coming (really already?) and I've hit a bit of writers block, which is annoying as hell.**

 **Nevertheless, my plan for now is to upload the next few chapters weekly, depending on whether I can break through this writers block. But don't worry, I _will_ be uploading next week, so you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter… which I apologise in advance for, ermm… never mind, you'll find out, hehe ;)**

 **Again, thanks to all for the lovely reviews, favs and follows! And here is the next chapter… bit shorter this one.**

* * *

Chapter 13

 _ **'Sanctuary Rejected'**_

* * *

Far away from the explosive and ballistic chaos, very few minutes had gone by as Judy had waited in the Mobile Command Centre.

She had just sat in the corner since Bogo had left…

He had ordered her to stay put after all.

But once again she just found herself sitting around unable to do anything. She had already been angry with herself when she had been doing just that while waiting back in the ambulance… now though she was even angrier with herself.

Now knowing the possibility that Nick and the others were dead, was all too real… and she could do nothing to stop it and nothing to help them.

Repeatedly she had forced herself to stop thinking about it, but the thought just lingered, gradually making its way back on board her train of thought, where it continued to her imagination with various scenarios Judy hoped she would never have to experience…

To distract herself, she had begun to peel up a part of the bandage around her leg to inspect her gunshot wound. It had been thoroughly cleaned, but her grey fur had been stained by the crimson liquid that was her own blood.

Apart from that, all that was left was a bloody, flesh coloured hole that stood out amongst her fur. Now, despite the fact it still hurt even with painkillers in action, the wound didn't look all too bad… the exit wound the other side of her leg was also fairly meagre compared to what it could have been.

But, it was _still_ a gunshot wound.

In that moment, Judy realised how lucky she was.

As she could have been hit in a much more vulnerable place… even though it had hit her leg, the bullet had very nearly cut through her femoral artery… which if it had, would have caused her to bleed out, and most likely die within minutes.

But that wasn't the only reason she had been lucky:

A 9mm bullet wound to the leg of larger mammal would mean about a week or several of medical leave to recover depending on the severity of the injury, then pending a doctor's examination they could go back to active duty.

An even larger mammal could have just applied a plaster and carry on, just shrugging off the wound as a light sting, or even barely felt it at all.

But to Judy, as a small mammal… she was lucky if she didn't walk with a limp for the rest of her life. Proportionally to her, a 9mm bullet was much larger compared to the larger mammals of the police force, and therefore, a far more serious injury to her.

But she could manage.

She was Judy Hopps.

And she never gave up.

Although she did dread the thought of the eventual phone call home to tell her parents she had been shot. That was a conversation she could well do without.

But that was only in the near future… Judy was far more worried about what was going on right now.

…

Still trying her best (and failing) to tell herself that her mind was lying to her, and that Nick was ok.

Judy regretted letting him go, she should have just asked him to stay in the ambulance with her… by her side, where no-one could take him away from her.

Her chest was physically paining, almost more so than her injured leg right now.

And Judy couldn't deny the reason she felt this way… it seemed evermore real in this moment, with all the time they had spent together since their unlikely meeting, Nick had gotten under her skin.

…

Judy loved him.

And she needed to tell him.

…

But that evermore realisation she may have missed her chance forever was tearing her apart.

But as Nick had taught her…

She didn't let anyone see that it got to her.

Or at least she tried.

She just needed to hear his voice, just to know he was ok… even that simple luxury would put her mind at ease-

But, soon, Judy was spared of her thoughts as Chief Bogo's booming voice became audible again.

He was at the threshold of the MCC's entrance ramp, still in mid conversation with the officer that had grabbed his attention earlier;

"-have the FDZ on standby to deal with that blaze, but I won't risk sending anyone in there until we get confirmation the area is clear,"

"Yes sir," the officer replied, turning back outside.

Bogo then re-entered the gargantuan vehicle, walking past Judy as if she wasn't even there.

"Sitrep!" he bellowed, almost making the technicians in the MCC jump from their seats.

"Both Teams 2 and 3 radioed in as expected sir, they're pushing the shooters back, but progress is slow," the Serval technician responded, and continued unsurely, "Team 1 is still dark,"

Before Bogo could even make a disgruntled huff, the pig technician spoke out to him;

"Sir, an emergency weather report just came in… the news is saying that storm that was going to pass up the coast changed direction," she explained, "It'll hit the city within the hour,"

"And you're telling me this, why?" Bogo snapped, causing the pig to hesitate a response.

"Sir I just thought… when that storm hits it could be dangerous, the weather service said it was severe, one of the biggest Zootopia's ever seen,"

"Ok," Bogo huffed, pausing a moment as he rubbed his forehead, "keep an eye on it, but a bit of bad weather is the least of my worries right now-"

And as if Bogo couldn't catch a break, the third technician in the MCC, a roe deer, then handed the Buffalo a vibrating mobile phone;

"Sir, telephone…" the doe said, almost worriedly, "It's the Mayor…"

Bogo reluctantly took the phone, really hoping to avoid a conversation with the elected leader of the city… but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Judy still sitting in the corner, and took the opportunity; she did say she wanted to do something to help, and this would help him _considerably_ right now;

"Hopps…"

Judy's ears stood to attention the moment she heard her name, as she looked up to see the Buffalo thrusting the phone in her direction;

"Answer it-"

"What?" Judy gasped, "Wai- what shall I say?"

"Just tell him everything is going fine,"

"So you want me to lie?" she asked.

Bogo responded with a sardonic expression; "Just answer the bloody phone…"

So Judy took the phone… slowly and unsurely, pressing the call accept button before putting the device to her ear, and spoke with a false positive attitude that completely contrasted her mood;

"Mayor Buckingham, sir, it's a delight to speak to you again,"

" _Officer Hopps? Delighted to speak to you again too,"_ the Stag greeted on the other end of the phone, _"I was calling to check on the progress of today's incursion… is Chief Bogo there?_ "

"Heeesss…" Judy hesitated, looking to Bogo, who was shaking his head; "…Not, available, right now… you know, pretty busy and all…,"

" _Right… I was just checking because I can see from my office a huge cloud of smoke in the distance-_ "

"Yea, we may have a small fire, but the Fire Department is on standby… don't worry sir… everything is going just fine," Judy lied anxiously.

" _You seem a bit flustered officer Hopps. Are you sure everything is alright?_ "

"I appreciate your concern Mr Mayor, but yes, everything is alright…" Judy lied again, this time successfully hiding her nerves, "We should have this raid all wrapped up by midday, Sir,"

" _That's excellent news… and here I was apprehensive whether or not the ZPD could actually handle this situation…_ "

Judy didn't respond immediately; she balled up her free paw into a fist in anger as she heard that comment, furious that the Mayor himself could say such a thing;

"…Well Sir…" She said bitterly, "… I can assure you, the ZPD has the situation under contro-"

A thunderous boom cut Judy mid-sentence, forcing her ears to drop behind her head from the sudden deafening noise. It echoed loudly outside from the centre of the ZPD's Confinement Zone… whatever it was also rumbling through the earth, shaking the ground like an earthquake and causing the MCC to sway slightly on its tyres from the harsh vibrations.

" _What was that!?_ " Mayor Buckingham asked irritably down the phone.

"Firework…" Judy responded with the first thing that popped into her head… forcing Bogo to face palm himself as he left the MCC, but not before he made a throat cut motion to the Bunny on the phone.

Judy responded to Bogo's silent order, speaking back into the receiver;

"We'll err… we'll call you back-"

…

* * *

The sudden thundering blast awoke her from her rocket explosion and broken brick induced unconsciousness.

Even so, Catherine took barely any notice… grumbling as she managed to reassert herself with reality. She had faired quite well considering her circumstance; her SWAT armour seemed to have taken much of the brunt from her fall and prevented much injury to herself.

However, her head was hurting considerably from the brick that hit her. As she sat up, she brought a paw to her head, wiping away the blood from her brow.

As she saw her blood stained paw and looked around herself, Catherine suddenly remembered where she was and what she was doing… immediately registering the ringing in her ears from a huge ball of blinding fire the place where the enemy sniper's tower used to be.

Once the fireball had dissipated, the thunderous explosion smoothened and the sound of crumbling stone settled, Catherine peered out from the rubble…

To see the other pile of rubble, around the church;

"Oh my god…" she mumbled cynically to herself, "… I am getting a desk job after this sh*t…"

…

* * *

…

"Nick…"

…

"Hey…"

…

"Nick…"

…

"Nick, wake up…"

…

"Wake up Nick!"

…

In the misleading realm of his half-consciousness, Nick thought for a moment it was Judy that called his name. He really hoped it was her… just the thought of seeing her actually made him feel better-

…

"Wake up dipsh*t… come on!"

…

Dipsh*t?

…

Nick was confused.

Judy called him many things but that had never been one of them-

It was _definitely_ his own mind meanly tricking him; the voice slowly changed to a deeper masculine tone as Nick began to regain his full consciousness. Through his ringing ears and aching head, the Fox suddenly felt a paw lightly tap his cheek… and again heard his name being called from next to him…

It might not have been the Bunny's voice… but it was still a relief to hear the voice of his Arctic Wolf companion-

"… Hey… Nick, wake up!-"

"Urrgh… wha- what?" the Fox mumbled, his vision clearing to see Fang looking down at him with a paw on his shoulder.

"You alright?" the Wolf asked.

"Err… yea," Nick responded, now forcing himself to lean up slightly, still finding himself a little disoriented from the blast; "Did I get him?"

Fang obviously knew to who the Fox was referring to: the sniper in the now non-existent bell tower. He didn't immediately reply as he looked away through the lingering dust cloud to where the towering stone monolith used to be. The top of the tower had been completely destroyed, the stone scorched and the blasted remains now formed a boulder field around the old structure.

He turned back to Nick;

"Yea… I think you got him…"

"Oh good…"

"Though you did just blow up the bell tower of a church…. So I think you might be going to hell," Fang joked.

"Ah… that's fine, I know I'm already goin to hell," Nick replied heartily.

Fang offered him a paw to help him up, which Nick took readily, coming up to his two shaky feet.

"That was some crazy sh*t though…" Fang said.

"It was the first idea that popped in my head," Nick spoke innocently.

"… I think you need your head examined…"

"Well I did have a concussion earlier, so you can't really blame me on my part…"

"Heh… touché…"

As they patted the worst of the dust from themselves they both looked around at the aftermath of Nick's extravagant and explosive improvisation. It was once again, eerily quiet. The few shooters left of the band of criminals had either been knocked out by being closer to the blast, ran away in fear, or been unlucky enough to be crushed underneath the massive blocks of stone that had now embedded themselves into the soil.

Through the dust cloud, Fang looked back down the yard; his eyes quickly became fixed on the unmoved form of a Lion, lying face down on the ground.

"Leonard-"

Fang made a move to rush back the way they had come, but through the lingering dust cloud the other two of their squad quickly appeared.

"We've got him!" Mchorn called over to them, referring to the downed Lion.

"What about Catherine?" Fang questioned.

"I'll get her…" Delgato answered, "Both of you, get to Mike! Make sure he's ok…"

Nick and Fang nodded, swiftly turning about to rush the opposite way towards the church entrance…

…

* * *

After seeing the Fox aim the RPG, Duma knew there was no chance to stop the rocket.

Although he had been just about quick enough to sprint to the opposite side of the tower, using his contingency escape route to rappel the exterior of the stone façade before the rocket even hit the building…

He was a Cheetah after all, and cheetahs were fast.

Duma practically leaped out of the tower… the explosion forcing him out of it, scorching parts of his fur before he fell below, dangling from a climbing rope that was no longer fixed to anything.

His failed rope forced him to drop it, and he fell against the crumbling tower itself, using his claws to slow his decent, sharpening them as he did so.

Eventually he had to let go as his grip began to fail… falling several metres onto the ground at the base of the crumbling church tower as the rubble landed around him and the dust cloud encroached upon him.

Despite being very close the explosion, Duma was still fairly coherent, with only a slight ringing in his ears and left slightly off balance from the concussive blast.

While the dust around him slowly began to settle, the Cheetah staggered to his feet. He moved slowly, making sure there was no sign of the cops before he rounded through into the entrance of the church…

And sprinted inside.

…

* * *

After striking the hyena's neck and leaving the criminal to choke on his own blood, Wolford had slumped himself down to the cold stone floor before the church altar from his exhaustion. He sat with his head back, leaning against the chipped stone table and his eyes closed.

He actually chuckled lightly to himself as he sat there… considering he hadn't gotten any further from escaping, as he was sitting in the exact same position he was before… only now he was sitting on the floor, in amongst the remains of the chair he was previously tied to… the wooden seat having been blasted to pieces and splinters from the preceding shootout.

As an explosion rocked his hearing, he opened his eyes and looked forward down the centre aisle, bringing his good arm up to shield his face from the dense cloud of dust when several large pieces of stone crashed through the church roof the opposite end, with a resounding thud of crushed rock as they hit the ground.

He was left in a light daze after that. Wolford soon dropped his arm and peered down to see the damage and dust cloud.

Not giving a moment to think what the heck just happened he went back to leaning his head on the altar with his eyes shut.

A minute or so went by.

…

Suddenly, he heard fast footsteps… very fast, and light…

…

Expecting (and hoping) it was his friends and colleagues coming to his aid-

…

But as Wolford forced his eyes open and looked up, he quickly became further disoriented than he already was as he was struck in the side of his head.

The next few moments he had no idea what was going on as whoever attacked him forced him to his feet.

And he suddenly felt much more awake when something cold, metallic and round was pressed to his temple…

…

* * *

Nick and Fang didn't waste any time to reach their fellow officer.

They hurried through the dust cloud, rounding the front of the church to reach the main entrance: old wooden doors, rotted to time and the paint peeling off.

Just entering through these old doors was somewhat nostalgic to Nick, having crossed this threshold before when the bells had chimed early on Sunday mornings in his youth.

He was almost reluctant to go any further.

But he persisted, with Fang alongside him.

While the dust cloud had encompassed the inside as much as outside, when Nick and Fang entered the building, it was still largely intact with the exception of a few larger pieces of stone crashed through the church roof. Nothing else showed any sign of the recent vigorous explosion. Only the effects of the time laden weathering and wear on the building was visible.

The sun outside shined through the coloured stained glass windows, showing depictions of the hallowed mammals of the past… offering almost a full spectrum of colour inside that illuminated the still airborne dust.

The scenery, and the architecture… despite the destruction and lack of maintenance, was still a sight to behold. A structure of this age and style was hard to find in the modernist style of the rest of Zootopia.

What Nick and Fang also noticed, was the sheer amount of bullet holes, and bullet casings that were dotted around the church-

They both stopped still.

…

They saw the remains of three dead mammals… a bullet ridden black bear in the centre aisle, what looked like… _pieces_ , of a wolf in the one side aisle, and beside the altar, a limp and dead hyena.

But the dead mammals aren't what caught Nick and Fang's attention.

…

Standing before the hallowed table of the church, was their friend and colleague, Michael Emmerson Wolford…

…

With the muzzle of a gun to the side of his head.

Wielded by a Cheetah, standing behind him.

…

Duma had the Wolf's arms pulled behind him painfully, keeping the canine from escaping and placed in front of him as a living shield… and his own M9 Beretta pistol pointed to the Wolf's temple.

Nick could see even from the distance between them, the Cheetah was staring daggers at him with his fiery amber eyes. It was fairly obvious, from the patches of scorched fur on the feline, that he was the mammal in the tower that Nick had blown up with the RPG.

…

Nobody made a move.

…

Nobody made a sound.

…

The standoff continued for some very long seconds.

…

Nick slowly reached for his holstered pistol-

Seen clearly by the Cheetah, responding by pushing the muzzle of his pistol harder against Wolford's head, making the battered, bruised and bleeding Wolf gasp.

Nick still made to grab his pistol…

Just slower.

Then there was a sudden commotion as the Cheetah moved his grasp on the Wolf, forcing Wolford down slightly as he changed who he was pointing the gun at-

…

Now aiming at the Fox.

In this standoff, Fang had no choice but the watch and wait. He was already unarmed, having used the last shells of his shotgun and left it outside.

…

Nick eyed the Cheetah's actions carefully.

Duma quickly tipped his gun downwards, using it to point to Nick's holstered one, before he flicked the muzzle of his pistol to the side… ordering the Fox to lose his weapon.

Reluctantly, Nick pulled his G17 from his hip holster, loosely holding it only by two digits, before he cast it aside into the rotted and collapsed pews of the church.

Now Nick was staring at the barrel of the Cheetah's gun… with no way to defend himself.

His heart was pounding in his chest, wondering what the Cheetah was going to do.

…

Suddenly, Duma pulled back, swiftly kicking Wolford forwards onto his front, but keeping the pistol aimed.

Wolford landed with a dull thud… Nick and Fang made a slow move to help him… which the Cheetah allowed, still with the pistol aimed at them.

Shockingly, Wolford managed to return to his shaky feet with their help… the three of them now standing before the armed Cheetah.

…

Nick was confused… there was no logic to what the Cheetah was doing.

But Fang had a hunch.

And Wolford knew.

…

They each eyed the feline, as he suddenly moved his free paw… coming to a zip pocket on his gear.

Dragging the zip down, he reached inside, pulling out a small transparent inhaler…

Nick stared at that inhaler suspiciously… for inside it, was an almost malignant, cool _blue_ liquid…

That looked all too… _familiar_.

Duma brought the inhaler to his muzzle, breathing out fully before placing the mouthpiece to his lips and pressing the canister. Inhaling fully, he took all of the cerulean gas into his lungs…

Giving him the rush he wanted and needed.

…

The Cheetah threw the inhaler away, and with a swift flick of his other paw, he flipped his handgun sideways, ejecting the magazine as he did so. Then he proceeded to pull the slide back, ejecting the one in the chamber… and tossed the gun aside.

…

"Not this sh*t again…" Fang mumbled, as his hunch was confirmed.

…

The Cheetah slowly walked forward, lifting his paw up and making a gesture for the two Wolves and the Fox to separate from each other… setting up the coming three-on-one fight.

Duma stood firmly in between them all, looking between the three Police Officers with a menacing scowl as he raised his paws and slowly clenched them into fists.

Nick, Fang and Wolford each did the same.

…

Now waiting to see who would make the first move…

…


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Not gonna lie, I always get nervous about uploading the more paw-to-paw action sequences, so I'd love to get some feedback for this chapter. Also, as I think it would help for some suggestive listening, type: ' _The Raid Soundtrack: Putting a Mad Dog Down_ ' into YouTube and listen to it, sets the correct vibe for this chapter perfectly. Honestly, I've actually devised a near enough full soundtrack for this fic, based off the film inspirations I used.**

 **Once again, thank you so much for reading my story (and a big thanks if you bothered reading my rambling authors notes too!). I really appreciate every review, fav and follow, even if I don't thank each of you directly. I will directly reply to a review if someone asks a question, so if anyone wants to ask a question… go ahead! And I'll get back to you when I can, or answer in an author's note in my next upload. I'm still wondering if any of you wonderful readers have picked up on the couple of Easter Eggs yet, hehe ;)**

 **Updates will still come weekly for the next two chapters unless something comes up, but I've been smashing my head against this writers block and all its doing is giving me a headache :/ but enough about my troubles… You're not interested in that, you're interested in what happens next…**

 **So read on ;)**

* * *

Chapter 14

 ** _'Cheetah Problem'_**

* * *

Duma stood firmly in between them all, looking between the three Police Officers with a menacing scowl as he raised his paws and slowly clenched them into fists.

Nick, Fang and Wolford each did the same.

…

Now waiting to see who would make the first move-

* * *

It was Wolford who did.

Although he knew he didn't have much of a chance against the Cheetah… as he knew Duma was a ruthless fighter… Wolford knew at least he could be a distraction, so Nick and Fang could take the Cheetah down.

He sent a weak punch towards the feline, quickly dodged as Duma kicked him in the chest, sending the Wolf flying backwards, instantly falling onto his back.

That gave Nick and Fang the chance to attack at the same time.

Fang went for a kick.

Nick went for a punch.

And as they both simultaneously attacked… the Cheetah simultaneously blocked them both with no effort at all.

It became very clear in that instance…

This was going to be no easy fight-

Especially as the Cheetah promptly counterattacked;

While Duma blocked Fang's kick, he also pushed his leg round, forcing the Wolf to twist as he followed through, whilst at the same time Duma also kicked back the Fox as he came for another punch.

The harsh foot paw hit Nick straight in the underside of his jaw, knocking him down to the hard floor instantly.

Now the Cheetah continued his advance on the Wolf.

As his kick had been used against him, Fang was now facing the Cheetah side on… feeling a foot quickly knock the back of his right knee, forcing him to kneel… followed by several brutal jabs at the pressure points on his back.

He felt himself almost seize up from the hits… and at the mercy of the Cheetah until a swift kick to his back knocked him forwards to the floor.

As Duma dropped the White Wolf, the Grey Wolf came back into play: Wolford attacked the feline from his side… landing a solid punch to the Cheetah's ribs.

But that was as far as he got.

As the Wolf attempted another punch with his weaker left arm, Duma grabbed it… pulling Wolford closer to him and violently jabbing his right elbow to the Wolf's chest, side and underarm before kicking out his leg and punching his stomach… and casually let Wolford fall to his side.

But now…

The Fox returned to the fray.

Nick once again used his smaller size to his advantage.

Approaching from behind, he jumped up onto the Cheetah's back, attempting to catch the feline in a headlock in a position the feline couldn't get hold of him.

Or so he thought-

Duma swiftly dragged the Fox over his shoulder before Nick even moved his arms to the Cheetah's neck, swiftly lifted into the air until the Cheetah slammed the Fox into the ground instantly with a hefty thud.

As Nick winced from the pain when he landed, Fang came into attack again, throwing a relentless volley of punches and kicks that the Cheetah engaged with a parry... and several that landed on the feline.

As Duma recoiled from the few of the Wolf's lunches that hit him, it came clear to him that the Arctic Wolf was his greatest adversary in this fight…

He'd have to get rid of him first.

But Fang wasn't going to go down easy… after being shot at, battered and beaten, nearly being incinerated, and just narrowly cheating death several times already today… he was fuming, striking his well-practiced martial arts moves with ruthless determination-

Ruthless determination that was also sloppy with exhaustion.

As the Cheetah and White Wolf fought, Duma could see that Fang was slowly wavering as he blocked the Wolf's attacks.

Fang was putting too much energy into each of his moves…

And the Cheetah just let him.

But quickly, the other Wolf intervened…

As the short duel between the canine and feline moved past his position on the floor, Wolford struck the Cheetah's leg from behind.

Having not seen it coming, it forced Duma to the ground… but not before he dragged Fang with him.

The Cheetah used all his downwards momentum to pull Fang downwards… bringing his shoulder against the Wolf's leg before flipping him over his shoulder.

As Fang landed hard onto the solid stone floor, hitting the back of his head and then harder on his tailbone, he felt the Cheetah turn around behind him… turning his attention to Wolford.

Duma practically leapt at him, pinning him in his floored position on his back.

As Wolford attempted a punch to get the Cheetah off him, it was swiftly pushed away… followed by a harsh uppercut to his jaw.

Wolford prepared himself for another (most likely) brutal punch to some part of his head… he was almost shocked when it never came.

Because the Cheetah was alerted to someone else-

Nick had eventually recovered from being slammed to the ground, once again attacking the Cheetah from behind with a hard kick to the back of the feline's head.

Even with his smaller stature, he knew that would disorient the Cheetah, and get his attention from his friends.

And he quickly regretted it…

The kick seemed to only make the Cheetah angrier… turning around and returning to his feet with lightning quick speed.

Nick rolled backwards as he dodged a roundhouse kick from the feline.

The Cheetah attacked again and again… Nick surprising himself with his own agility as he manged to dodge the feline's quick punches.

But it didn't last for very long.

As the Nick dodged a left hook from him, Duma forced his right arm forward and grasped the Fox's left arm… pulling him forwards and swiftly lifting his knee to the vulpine's muzzle.

Nick immediately recoiled from the hit, staggering backwards, nearly tripping over his own tail and bringing his free right paw to his pained and bleeding nose… completely unprepared for when he was kicked square in the chest…

It launched him a good ten feet backwards, rolling sideways and colliding with one of the rotted and broken church pews.

With the Fox out the way, Duma now returned to what he was doing:

Disposing of the White Wolf.

Fang had barely had the chance to move from his aching back before the Cheetah turned his attention back to him.

He was suddenly lifted up from the shoulder straps of his SWAT gear from behind him, quickly seeing a furred black spotted tan coloured arm reach around his front, and quickly clamping him in a tight choke hold-

* * *

Back outside the church, the lingering dust cloud had begun to settle, once again revealing the old and unkempt churchyard… only now it was strewn with brass bullet casings, bullet riddled gravestones and the lifeless bodies of the vanquished band of criminals, with either a pool or splatter of blood beside them.

Delgato ignored the gory and morbid scenery as he sprinted down the stone slabbed path to the gate they had entered the yard from, in an effort to find Catherine. He had only just reached the threshold of the gate when the Snow Leopard suddenly appeared from the rubble of the apartment building, staggering slightly as she stepped forward, and using her sniper rifle as a partial crutch.

"Thought we'd lost you…" Delgato called to her.

"Nearly did…" Catherine practically grunted, "… though I gotta say I'm sick of nearly getting blown up today…"

As she staggered forward Delgato moved to assist her.

"Cashed in another life?" he attempted a light joke.

"Might as well have," the Snow Leopard answered as she rubbed another spate of blood from her forehead, "I did take a brick to the face…"

"You good?" the Tiger asked concernedly.

"Good enough…" Catherine answered, brushing off some of the dust from her SWAT gear, and holstering her sniper rifle over her back.

"Come on," Delgato continued without missing a beat, "… we gotta get back up there,"

The two felines made a move, now returning up the churchyard to the scene of the previous shootout, and the destroyed church tower.

"What the hell even happened anyway?" Catherine asked, seeing the devastation before her.

"Not sure to be honest," Delgato answered, "I think Nick got to that RPG and fired at the tower-"

"What is it with that Fox and explosives?" Catherine interrupted, not specifically looking for an answer.

"No idea," Delgato replied unsurely, "But Leonard got hit pretty badly-"

He cut his sentence short as they had already reached the place where the Lion had fallen… indicated by the blasted apart gravestone, the downed Lion and the Rhino kneeling next to him.

Mchorn had turned Grizzoli over onto his back, carefully. He had also unstrapped some of his tactical gear so as to check him over fully. It appeared that in Delgato's absence, Mchorn had probed into what was left of their medkit and tied a tourniquet to Grizzoli's upper left leg, raising it to lean on his knee. In addition he was also applying pressure to where a patch of dark red liquid had soaked through the sleeve of the Lion's left arm, and the cloth that Mchorn was using to clean it.

"How is he?" Delgato asked worriedly, as he kneeled down to assist him.

"He's alive… just…" Mchorn answered, as the Lion's face twitched slightly and made a quiet inaudible murmur, "… I think his body armour took most of the brunt, but he's out cold… and bleeding badly… problem is our medkit is pretty much empty-"

"Here, take mine…" Catherine piped up, handing her own personal compact medkit to the two of them.

Delgato took it keenly and began delving into it for the necessary treatments for his injured friend, but as he rummaged through, he was confused why there was a small tube that had no place being in there, with a clear liquid inside it. It seemed to resemble an epi pen and was labelled;

 _MHA2_

"Is this a?-"

"Yea…" Catherine interrupted, and went on to explain briefly _why_ she had a Nighthowler antidote injector in her personal medkit; "Just in case…"

"Fair enough," Delgato mused, but it wasn't what he was looking for.

Although, having now given what help she could offer, Catherine still had a prying question to ask them… having noticed the absence of the Fox and the Wolf of the group;

"Where are John and Nick?"

It took both Mchorn and Delgato a moment to realise of course Catherine was one of the few who used Fang's first name.

"They went to find Mike in the church," Delgato answered.

"Yea…" Mchorn added, with a sudden suspicious pause, "… and they should've been back by now…"

The three of them looked between each other with worrying concern, until they looked to the church… hearing through the silence what sounded like a struggle from inside with their sensitive hearing.

Catherine clearly showed her eagerness to investigate as she removed her sniper rifle from her back, and held it firm in her paws. She then looked back to the Tiger and Rhino, waiting for an indication-

Instantly getting it when Mchorn gestured to her;

"Go…"

* * *

Catherine ran off at a keen sprint, not wasting any time travelling through the new boulder field at the base of the half collapsed bell tower. Within a moment she reached the old and rotted wooden doors of the entrance and proceeded inside.

Although, when Catherine entered the church, she was unprepared for the encounter she had just ran in on-

* * *

Upon seeing the familiar Snow Leopard standing at the opposite end of the centre aisle, Fang pried himself from the Cheetah's choke hold enough to yell to her;

"SHOOT HIM!"

The Wolf's yell alerted the Cheetah, who swiftly flipped Fang over with a hefty swing, slamming his face down into the floor, and diverted his attention to the other feline.

Duma noticed she was carrying a sniper rifle…

So now he had another grudge to settle.

Converting to all fours, he darted down the church to attack her at such a speed it would almost put a bolt of lightning to shame.

Catherine almost panicked as she aimed, firing a shot that missed… pulling the bolt of her sniper rifle to load another round, and fired again.

Also a miss.

Another pull of the bolt-

But the cheetah was on her.

As Catherine changed her aim, Duma was right in front of her, smacking the weapon barrel away as she fired-

The bullet only made a gaping hole in the cold stone floor.

She was shocked even more so when the Cheetah slammed his foot on the weapon barrel… bending it with suck a kink it was no longer useable.

Catherine attempted the use the stock of her now broken weapon, bringing the rifle butt up and getting a clean strike on the Cheetah's face.

The other feline's brief stagger gave her a chance.

Catherine dropped her sniper rifle, and quickly rolled sideways, un-holstering her P226 pistol as she returned to her feet… barely getting the chance to aim as the Cheetah attacked again.

Catherine fired in desperation as Duma lifted her aiming right paw up, and pushed her against one of the church's stone pillars. Another hit to her arm disarmed her-

Now the Cheetah had the gun.

And Catherine prepared for the worst.

But Duma had no intention of using the weapon.

Instead, he brutally dismantled it by braking the slide from the top, and throwing it aside as it fell to several pieces.

Catherine was still leaning on the pillar having thought she was about to be shot… but quickly she noticed what the Cheetah had done to her weapon… and turned his attention back to her.

As the Cheetah yanked her from her leaning position on the pillar, Catherine suddenly came to her senses.

She managed to break one of the opposing feline's arms away from his hold on her, and punch him in the side.

It appeared the Cheetah felt nothing, as suddenly he had twisted Catherine around, painfully pulling her previously dislocated shoulder backwards before kicking her hard at the base of her back, sending her falling forward.

To Catherine's relief, the Cheetah's advance on her was halted as Fang re-engaged him-

The White Wolf practically dived into the Cheetah, sending them both rolling backwards towards the church entrance.

On the ground, Duma sent a kick towards Fang's head, missing as Fang attempted to send his own foot against the Cheetah's head… and succeeded as it made contact.

But Duma used that backwards momentum to return to his feet- still he was unprepared for the Wolf's next attack.

Fang had swung himself around on the floor, using his tail to balance…

With his legs coiled, he launched himself at the feline… colliding with Duma's stomach, and began traveling down the centre aisle, until they both tripped over the body of the dead and bullet riddled black bear.

Duma fell on his back, while Fang fell on his front, both with a solid thump on the stone…

But that didn't halt the fight for a second-

Fang immediately attempted to throttle the Cheetah, leaning over and clamping his right arm across the feline's neck.

As Duma began a ferocious struggle to free himself, Wolford came from his position on the floor, and leaned over the Cheetah's legs… doing his best to stop him from struggling.

The struggle didn't last for very long-

Especially not when Duma managed to pull his right arm free…

He immediately lifted his limb high to slam his elbow to Fang's head… the sharp impact instantly forcing the Wolf's grip to fail.

Duma used his free upper body to flip the White Wolf over him, quickly striking his head with his other elbow.

Now Duma proceeded to free his legs;

It didn't take much, as Wolford's grip on them was weak- Duma easily pulled his right leg free and kicked the Wolf away; his foot colliding with Wolford's stomach.

However, when Duma attempted to get up, Nick and Catherine attacked him together;

Catherine swiftly kicked the Cheetah back down… and as he attempted to kick her away, Nick grabbed the Cheetah's leg mid swing.

Catherine kicked the Cheetah again, this time in his right side… but was left vulnerable when Duma grabbed and pinned her limb to the spot.

Now Duma proceeded to get the Fox off his own leg… by using his other-

Nick felt a hard kick to his muzzle when the Cheetah kicked him away, staggering backwards until Wolford stopped him from falling.

After he kicked the Fox off him, Duma still had Catherine's leg trapped… and proceeded to use it to his advantage to lift him from the floor.

Before she could free herself, the Cheetah struck Catherine's leg with his right arm, forcing her down to the floor having been put off balance, the precarious position making her land on her front.

Duma attempted to finish the Snow Leopard by striking the back of her head, but was swiftly stopped when Fang grabbed his downwards punch… and the Cheetah's retaliatory attack on the Wolf was halted when Catherine had flipped over on the floor and kicked him in the face.

That hit knocked Duma backwards fully, rolling once until he came back to his paws.

He paused as he looked at the scene before him.

Fang had now helped Catherine up to her feet, and Nick and Wolford were also back on their feet.

All four of the Police Officers, stood defiantly before the Cheetah…

And Duma just stared back at them, changing his gaze between the four cops… with a callous smile that showcased his pearly white fangs…

* * *

The fight didn't stay paused for very long as the Cheetah soon attacked again, continuing the now four-on-one battle…

What felt like minutes went by… was most likely a few seconds as the adrenaline of the situation swept through each of them.

But the four cops were quickly tiring… and the criminal was going strong. Even if the numbers were in their favour, the odds were more than even.

This Cheetah was lightning fast- whatever he had taken in from that inhaler had seemingly made him invincible…

Every punch or kick Nick, Fang, Catherine or Wolford made was blocked and parried instantly… knocking each of them down one by one until they willed themselves to get back up again for another onslaught of the Cheetah's punishment.

Rather than a true four-on-one, Duma was forcing them to fight him in small one-on-one, or two-on-one engagements, beating down their resolve and strength while somehow his remained intact. He was certainly having his fun with them.

But before the drug wore off, he needed to finish this.

…

And so he did.

* * *

Within the brawl of flying paws, feet, growls and snarls… Duma had just knocked Catherine and Fang back down to the floor after exchanging a long series of punches and kicks.

Nick came in to attack, putting all his weight and forward momentum into a kick that impacted the Cheetah's stomach as he turned to face the Fox.

The feline actually staggered backwards, but promptly enacted his counterattack on the small canid.

Nick quickly ducked to dodge a kick from the Cheetah, following by landing a swift left hook to the feline's side, another punch to his gut and then finishing with a kick-

But the Cheetah grabbed the Fox's leg as it made contact…

The next thing Nick knew, he was being flung around until he was thrown harshly against the cold stone floor.

Nick was left completely exposed… and only just turned over to witness the Cheetah jump up high to slam onto his neck… a manoeuvre that would most likely kill him-

But Wolford grabbed the feline's leg mid jump before he could… bringing Duma down to the ground onto his front and using his arms to break his fall.

Wolford then yanked him backwards, still with a firm grip on Duma's leg, and soon kicked his other leg out from beneath him.

Duma fell to the ground, but instantly flipped over and grabbed Wolford's outstretched arm to pull himself to his feet.

As the feline pulled himself up, Wolford brought his knee up to collide with the Cheetah's stomach, which Duma pushed back down instantly.

He knew that the Wolf was throwing his all into these manoeuvres, so he took advantage of that… and of Wolford's still paining knife injuries.

As Wolford threw his weight into several punches with his good right arm, Duma blocked each of them until after the third punch he grabbed Wolford's arm and twisted it, forcing the canine to halt his attack.

Duma now made his counter move.

Using Wolford's arm lifted above his head, he punched the Wolf in the side before he twisted around underneath, using his right foot to strike Wolford's knife wound in his leg-

He screamed in agony as the Cheetah's foot made contact, his right knee buckling in pain.

But Duma wasn't finished… quickly coming behind be slammed his left elbow against Wolford's other knife wound on his left shoulder, before punching again to the back of his head… and as Wolford fell forward… Duma finished him with a kick to make him fall harder.

…

Wolford was down.

…

But the fight continued.

The Cheetah's assault on the Grey Wolf was halted when the Snow Leopard charged him, knocking him to the ground but also dragging her with him.

Unfortunately for Catherine, as they rolled on the floor, the Cheetah came out on top… rolling over slightly further before he lifted his leg up to bring down on her face-

Which was promptly stopped when Fang grabbed it…

With a combined attack from Fang lifting the Cheetah from his leg and Catherine kicking the Cheetah away from her, they both threw the feline a good ten feet away, colliding with the wooden church pews.

With his smaller size hindering his lethality… Nick had resulted to using some of the junk in the church as a weapon:

Having grabbed one of the broken planks of wood from the church pews, Nick took advantage of the Cheetah's throwing from his comrades and swiftly swung the blunt object, directly on top of the feline's head.

Duma winced lightly from the hit, but as Nick swung the plank again… Duma grabbed it… immediately prying it free from Nick's grasp, and swinging it around to now attack the Fox with his own weapon.

The first hit Nick blocked with both his arms, but immediately recoiled from the pain of the wood striking him that he left himself open for the second hit… the wood knocking him down instantly as it collided with the left side of his head.

As Nick fell again, Fang was already reengaging the Cheetah…

Duma greeted him by swinging the plank against the Wolf-

Fang blocked the attack by grabbing the plank with both paws… suddenly put off balance as the Cheetah kicked his leg from beneath him.

It forced Fang's grip to fail; the Cheetah broke the plank from his grasp, and with three swift blows… the first to the right of his head, the second to his already broken nose, and the third to the left side, the Cheetah dropped the White Wolf again.

As Fang fell down, Catherine returned, instantly kicking forwards with a ferocious snarl-

Duma lifted the plank of wood horizontally to block the Snow Leopard's kick-

Completely surprised when she actually snapped the wood cleanly in half…

Duma left himself open when he dropped the two halves of the plank… allowing Catherine to land a hard punch to his muzzle, another to his chest and another to his stomach.

She didn't relent from more punches, striking the Cheetah as many times as she could… but she only managed one more punch before Duma quickly stopped her…

After cleanly striking the Cheetah's chest with a solid punch, Catherine attempted another to the side of his head with a perfect right hook…

Blocked instantly…

As the Cheetah returned with his own solid right hook to her own head.

Catherine became immediately disoriented, and therefore… defenceless.

Duma grabbed her by the neck, twisting her round as she fell to her knees, before he punched her in the head again.

And again.

And again.

And one last time until the Snow Leopard fell limply backwards onto her back.

…

Catherine was down.

…

But the fight continued.

The Cheetah had only relented on his assault of the Snow Leopard as Nick had grabbed his arm, pulling it backwards painfully with as much force as he could while he jabbed the base of the feline's back with his other paw-

Obviously not enough force, as the Cheetah turned around to face him pushing the Fox's arm away from him.

Nick stepped backwards as the Cheetah launched a powerful uppercut to his jaw, missing by an inch.

In the gap of the Cheetah's attack, Nick launched another punch to the Cheetah's side- but as it missed, Duma used the Fox's meagre momentum against him, pulling the vulpine around him before lifting him up and throwing him against the stone altar- colliding harshly against the stone with the side of his head,

It still didn't end, as when Nick tried to get up-

The Cheetah was on him again… grabbing him by the head before the Fox could fend him off, and twice over Nick's head was slammed against the stone table… the Cheetah not satisfied until the Fox became only half conscious.

…

Nick was down.

…

But the fight continued.

With only one opponent left…ironically the one that Duma had tried to get rid of first…

Instead now, Duma was feeling cocky, and decided to see how long the White Wolf would last.

Fang was currently still on the floor, rousing himself to keep fighting.

He was quite shocked when it was the Cheetah who helped him up… although rather harshly.

Fang wasn't falling for that…

As the Cheetah was leaning over him, he knew the feline was off balance… and so, as Duma grabbed Fang's SWAT gear to lift him, Fang kicked him over his head, and rose from the ground himself.

Unluckily, the Cheetah had landed on all fours, and quickly countered Fang's move when he attempted to knee him in the chest… instead only being kneed in the chest himself… several times over.

On the third hit, Fang let the Cheetah's knee collide with him… and then grabbed the back of his leg, using that as a pivot to twist the feline around and slam him harshly down to the floor.

It was Duma who was then dragged up from the ground by his shirt… quickly twisting round and striking the Wolf's leg with his elbow, knocking Fang down, then punching his stomach and finishing with another punch to his face.

But as Fang fell backwards, he let himself fall to his back… bringing his fully coiled legs to strike the Cheetah in the muzzle… swiftly knocking Duma down too.

That was the moment Duma decided he'd had enough… especially when he tasted his own blood, made angrier only by the Wolf's tenacity.

He soon ended the fight.

As they both returned to their feet, the Wolf and the Cheetah met in the centre again, continuing to fight… parrying and blocking each other's attacks until one made the first mistake.

It was Duma who did, as one of his own kicks missed he took one directly to the face, staggering backwards as he did so…

But then that mistake quickly turned to his advantage.

Thinking the feline was about to break, Fang entered into his final onslaught:

He swung his leg, trying to knock the Cheetah down.

Duma backed away as the Wolf missed his mark, and blocked a flurried left hook from the canine, before returning a punch of his own to the Wolf's ribs.

Fang threw another punch, colliding with Duma's ribs, to which the feline swiftly returned with one to Fang's stomach.

The two of them both leaned in to head-butt the other… their foreheads colliding harshly.

They both staggered backwards…

And Fang then threw the last punch of his onslaught… attempting to strike the Cheetah with a left hook…

Duma ducked right and dodged it, grabbing Fang's arm as he did while the Wolf attempted to punch with his other.

Duma swiftly pushed it away with his free paw… and still with his grasp on Fangs right arm, he then shoved his own right arm beneath the Wolf's armpit and used his own weight against him…

With his arm a lever, Duma used his all… swiftly lifting Fang clean over his shoulder, and crashing him onto the only unbroken church pew… breaking the old bench and shattering the wood into shards and splinters as the White Wolf landed, and was left cringing in pain.

…

Fang was down.

…

And the fight was over.

* * *

…

All of the cops were down, out… exhausted, and in pain. Battered, beaten and bruised.

…

And the criminal was still standing.

Now Duma had that difficult choice to make…

…

Which one of them should he kill first?

…

As he calmed his breathing, the Cheetah looked between the vanquished police officers…

He certainly had his choice;

The Wolf who had had the audacity to lie to him the past three months, thinking he was a brother in arms until he was revealed as an undercover cop; his enemy.

The Snow Leopard, who had for the previous shootout been a real nuisance for trying to counter-snipe him.

The other Wolf who had escaped his aim at the start of the day by sheer luck alone, and his toughest adversary in this fight…

But slowly, Duma's vision became fixed on the Fox.

…

And he made his choice.

After all, it was the Fox that tried to kill him by blowing him up with the RPG… not that he could return the explosive favour, he would definitely make the vulpine suffer.

* * *

…

Like the rest of them… Nick was still completely vulnerable on the floor, still trying to fight back the pain inflicted on him by the unbeatable Cheetah-

But it wasn't about to get any better for him.

Nick suddenly felt someone grasp the base of his tail and pull him backwards…

He attempted to struggle until the grip changed, and he was lifted up from the back of his neck, until he was no longer touching the ground… followed by a black spotted-tan coloured paw moving to his front-

And clasped hard round the front of his neck.

Duma began to choke the Fox slowly, gradually increasing the pressure as the canid struggled helplessly…

Nick was already gasping for air, futilely trying to break the Cheetah's paw from his neck.

It didn't help that he was exhausted… or that the Cheetah was both bigger and stronger than him, Nick did all he could, even digging his claws into the Cheetah's arm in desperation.

He began feeling lightheaded… panicked gasps gave him no air as the Cheetah held tighter.

Duma was relishing this punishment, feeling the canid struggle in his grasp, trying in vain to break free.

But he no intention of choking the Fox to death.

Duma slightly shifted his grip on the Fox's neck, and began to use his previously sharpened claws to pierce the Fox's skin-

And attempted to sever his carotid artery…

* * *

Hearing the struggle was enough to rouse him.

It was a strain just to lift his head, but Wolford could clearly see the Cheetah throttling Nick, and it was clear in the Fox's choking and waning struggle, there was no way Nick could free himself.

And Wolford wasn't going to let anyone else die for him…

He looked down in front of him… and in the gap between them, his blurred vision became fixed on a large and tough splinter of wood from the collapsed church pews… almost perfectly sharpened at one end… and the perfect size for an improvised knife.

With what was left of his strength, he began to crawl forward.

He grasped the wooden shiv firmly in his left paw.

Baring his teeth as he fought the pain from his persistent injuries, Wolford rose to his two feet, held firm by his determination…

He approached the Cheetah from behind, the feline completely unaware as he was too busy slowly killing the Fox.

In a split second, Wolford made his move:

He pulled the Cheetah's head back sharply by grabbing his ear, and he lifted the shiv up… before bringing it down with all his strength-

Stabbing the Cheetah in the side of the neck.

Duma snarled as the shiv pieced his neck… a small fountain of blood spurting out to rain on the stone floor. He quickly relented his torture of the Fox as he cringed in pain.

But it still didn't stop him.

He threw Nick to the ground, the Fox breathing in a vast lungful of air as the constraint on his neck was released, coughing too as he recovered from his choking.

Duma turned his attention to Wolford, continuing to growl as he brought his left paw to claw away the Wolf's grasp on the shiv in his neck and slamming his right elbow backwards into the lupine's chest, repeatedly until Wolford recoiled.

The next thing Wolford felt was a furious kick to his chest which he was sure broke a rib, followed by another harsh blow to his leg… sending him muzzle first to the ground.

Duma still didn't relent as he grabbed Wolford by the back of his head, pulling out tufts of his fur as he did, before slamming his head into the ground over and over again-

He was promptly stopped when Catherine had roused herself from the ground, and pulled the Cheetah away from the downed Wolf.

As the Cheetah began an onslaught that would likely put the Snow Leopard down for good, Fang grabbed his attention having managed to rouse himself back up-

And the Arctic Wolf, Snow Leopard couple continued to fight the enraged Cheetah… the black spotted, tan coloured feline, still somehow managing the hold his own, even with a wooden shiv protruding from his neck, and a river of blood exuding from the wound.

* * *

Nick still panted while on his all fours on the cold stone floor to catch his breath. He brought his left paw to massage his neck from where the Cheetah had strangled him, a gentle stream of blood coming from where the feline's claws had cut into his neck... it was luckily just a gentle stream, and not a torrent. It was a relief that the Cheetah had been stopped before he had cut his artery.

But in the moment, Nick suddenly became fuelled with a silent rage… he slowly moved his head to look behind him at the Cheetah who was now fighting with the White Wolf and Snow Leopard.

Nick made a low growl as he stared daggers at the tan furred feline.

That Cheetah would have killed him, without a second thought.

And as the many thoughts of repercussions of what would have happened if the feline had cut his life short streamed through his head… only one was clear to him…

…

He would have died before he could tell her.

And that was enough.

…

For the first time in his life… Nick was overcome by rage-

That predatory bloodlust no amount of evolution could diminish.

For the first time in his life...

Nick _wanted_ to kill someone.

He wanted to kill that Cheetah.

…

* * *

The Fox turned on the spot… watching the fight between the Wolf, Snow Leopard and Cheetah, waiting for the moment to strike-

Just as the Cheetah had beaten the other two back was when Nick decided to launch himself into the fray;

He began on all fours to increase his speed, after which he pushed off the ground and launched himself forward, colliding with the Cheetah's chest with all his weight, forcing the feline over, and to smack the back of his head on the floor.

The Cheetah swiftly pushed the Fox off him, and attempted the grab him back in his choke hold-

Which was quickly stopped when Catherine grabbed the other feline's arm, following by striking his humerus with enough force it broke the bone, leading the Cheetah to roar in pain.

Nick moved left to grab the Cheetah in his own choke hold, clasping his arm around the feline's neck.

Fang launched a repeated volley of hard punches to the Cheetah's chest, breaking his sternum and several ribs, followed by a punch straight to his muzzle.

The enraged Cheetah then attempted his escape… stopped instantly as Fang held his legs from moving-

Catherine held his arms moving-

And Nick planted a hard punch to the Cheetah's temple.

It stopped the feline's struggle momentarily…

Just long enough for them to finish him.

…

Nick grasped the wooden shiv protruding from Duma's neck-

And with all his strength…

And very un-fox like roar…

He dragged the shiv from one side of the Cheetah's neck-

To the other…

And even as Tatizo Duma began drowning on his own blood, he still tried to struggle free with a ferocious and defiant snarl…

Until he fell silent.

And moved no more.

…

When it was over, Nick dragged the shiv from the Cheetah's neck, and stared for a moment at the red stained timber in disgust before throwing it away into the piles of junk in the church.

As Catherine and Fang let go of the dead feline, Nick backed away from his kill, his tail becoming draped in the Cheetah's blood as it continued to drain like a bloody waterfall from the feline's neck, and pooled beside him before the church altar…

And just as Roan Fyodorov wanted…

The hallowed stone floor turned, a deep shade of red.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Wow… I got all excited with all those reviews last week! I had hoped to get back to each of you with a PM to thank you personally, but I just haven't had the time this week, sorry about that. Though thank you very much for taking the time to write such amazing feedback, it really means a lot… especially that that fight scene came across nicely as I'd hoped, and I'll definitely adhere to the constructive criticism when I get around to revising this story… but that won't be happening till I've finished the rest of it!**

 **Speaking of… Progress report: Next chapter will be coming out as planned next week on the 27th. I have somewhat managed to break through that writers block but I've barely written anything in the last couple of weeks, so I can't say for certain when I shall continue uploading after the 27th. Definitely will be later in January depending on progress; these chapters are just getting longer and longer, hence why this next one I actually split into two parts. I also hope at some point to make some sort of cover art for this fic as well, if I can get my artistic muse back… but hey, we'll see what happens!**

 **But as for now, here's the next chapter… take a break from the action for a moment, and enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 15

 ** _'Combat Effective – Part 1'_**

* * *

There wasn't much he could see through the window, one of the only few pieces of double glazing that was installed before the site was abandoned; it had become murky and stained with mould through years of neglect of the half completed structure.

Nevertheless, the Black Cat could still see through it, clear as day.

The view across the rest of the construction site and the adjacent road he could see well in the bright morning daylight, but beyond the wall of the churchyard his view was blocked by a thick row of unkempt tree canopy… behind it, the dust cloud around the exploded church tower still lingered, gradually dissipating at it settled.

As soon as Roan heard the explosion he slowly moved to see the devastation, and upon seeing it, he was sure that his garrison at the church had fallen, which only meant that his two best fighters had fallen also.

But he wasn't worried, it was part of the plan.

They were honourable sacrifices- martyrs, if he should succeed in his plot, for the new world he would create.

As he decided to break his stare from the window, he paused a moment as a small far away rumble caught his ears… the rumble of the approaching storm.

A small conceited smile formed on his muzzle as he heard it.

Even after being forced into his contingency plan by the unexpected raid today… everything was going to plan.

Soon, he decided to leave the window, and return back through the complex of unfurnished corridors and half completed rooms to the huge chamber which served as his makeshift office.

On his entry, Roan continued walking until he reached his rough-and-ready desk, before sitting himself down on the chair behind it. He paused a moment before he reached over to a small fruit bowl, grabbing a red apple from the assorted fruits. He then reached into his pocket, pulling out his faithful folding karambit knife, extending the blade with a hard flick, and began using it to peel the rounded fruit.

There were only two other mammals in the room with him: a Fox and a Vixen; Max and Maisie Balgair, brother and sister Red Fox twins who were just as ambitious as each other… and as ruthless as the Panther himself.

The Fox was armed with a P90 submachinegun, and for his preferred melee weapon: a claw hammer, which was oversized compared to the small canid as it was designed for larger mammals- it was very nearly the size of a sledge hammer to him… the weapon currently holstered in a shotgun sheath on his back. The Vixen preferred to go around without a firearm; Maisie favoured getting in close and inflicting pain with her own preferred melee weapon: a baseball bat, also much like her brothers claw hammer, was oversized for her… but was still a brutal and crude weapon in her paws.

They had been Roan's self-proclaimed bodyguards ever since the Panther began his bloody crusade.

Roan was often questioned by the lessors of his organisation as to why he had two foxes as his guards. That was simply because, unlike his law enforcement adversaries used to be… Roan knew that smaller mammals were not to be underestimated, and anyone who questioned that was usually subject to Max and Maisie's wrath, if Roan felt like they deserved it.

It was after all, a smaller mammal than him, which had stolen his heart: his Coyote wife, Madelyn.

Roan and Madelyn were devoted to one another, having known each other since they were cubs, and been together romantically since they were teenagers. They were normal youngsters, with dreams and aspirations and a whole life ahead of them in a world which claimed they could be anything.

But when two young predators with big dreams who grow up in the worst part of the city reach out for more, they quickly become belittled by those who think they are better than them.

Coyotes were subject to the worst levels of prejudices alongside foxes… both species being considered shifty and untrustworthy, and Madelyn was definitely not spared from that bigotry; as well as having to grow up in a brutal and broken home and the police giving her the cold shoulder whenever she cried out for help… it essentially crushed her self-esteem… but left her full of a hidden, and ruthless, bloodcurdling rage.

Roan was her rock… but over time, it got worse and worse, and even he himself suffered. But it was far worse for his mate, and he couldn't bear to see it; watching the only mammal he loved reduced to a whimpering wreck of an animal full tears and depression whenever she tried to follow her dream.

So he took the law into his own claws.

In a very extremist way.

And soon, Madelyn joined him… given the option to let out all that anger that had been burning inside her made her feel so much better… both of them together, indulging into that primal bloodlust like an addictive drug.

Everything changed after that…

Their ambitions reformed; their adolescent dreams now long forgotten.

They made contacts.

Created a following for anyone else who had suffered like them, and wanted revenge for it… one that was almost cultish.

And branched out into the criminal underworld of the city, taking it by the gun, the blade, the tooth and claw… in a bloody spectacle that earned the attention of the police, the government, the news and the city alike.

They forced Zootopia into a new state of fear…

And Roan and Madelyn were loving every moment of it.

…

Love was unexplainable…

But that Panther and that Coyote knew that they would die for each other…

And more than happily kill for each other too, and both of them had already done the latter.

So the fact that he knew she was sitting alone inside a ZPD prison van, bound in cuffs and a muzzle, and injured by the police that had her imprisoned-

…

It made his blood boil.

And he would be sure to make the two cops that hurt his beloved wife suffer… until they begged for death.

…

But he still had a lot of work to do first-

"That's the last canister…" the Vixen caught the Panther's attention, displaying the larger metallic gas tank she and the Fox had just left resting against the wall, "You want us to take it down-"

"No…" Roan interrupted, not looking up from his apple peeling, "… leave it here, I may have a use for it,"

Now Roan placed down his knife and partially peeled apple, moving his paw across the table to pick up another radio set.

He spoke into it authoritatively.

"Mitchell… Is everything else in place?"

" _Almost_ …" the Honey badger the other end of the radio answered, another one of his trusted members of his organisation.

"What do you mean, _almost_?"

" _Nothing to worry about sir_ ," Mitchel paused, " _Just gotta load the warhead on the trailer and we're done_ …"

"Good," Roan smiled roguishly, "… I want to be ready to go as soon as we're finished here,"

" _Don't worry, we will be_ …"

Roan didn't respond, the conversation having ceased itself. Instead of putting it back on the table though, he placed the radio into his pocket and returned his attention back to the Fox and the Vixen still in the room;

"Max… Maisie," he began, "Get everyone ready for an assault, I want everyone combat effective in ten minutes,"

"Assault?" Max questioned, "Roan, we got the cops beat, they're not likely to come here after the sh*t they've been through-"

"No… they'll come… they won't stop till they have me…" Roan soothed, "So that's exactly what I'm going give them…"

The two Foxes didn't respond, they stayed silent, musing over what the Black Cat's intention was, allowing Roan to continue;

"Just… make sure, you lead the Fox in here…" he now looked up to stare at the two Foxes, the rage hidden very well behind his eyes- a look that often made Max and Maisie tingle in fear, and admiration; "… I want him _alive_ ,"

Following his order, Max and Maisie nodded in unison before leaving the room…

Roan, now left by himself, leaned over to switch on a large stereo system… the speakers dotted around the room erupting into a symphonic playlist of classical music, and he continued to peel his apple with his knife.

Waiting patiently, for the Police to find him…

…

* * *

The only sound that remained inside the church now was the heavy breathing of the police officers as they panted to catch their breath and allowed the pain to dissipate after their audacious fight against the Cheetah.

Nick, Catherine and Fang had backed away from their vanquished feline adversary, whose cut open neck was still cascading a torrent of blood onto the floor.

Either side of the dead feline, Catherine and Fang looked at each other, their gaze locking on the other's eyes that asked and answered any question they could ask. Nevertheless the two of them shuffled across the floor to enter into a silent one armed embrace, gently nuzzling affectionately for a moment before letting go- a short loving reunion after a long few minutes of unwanted physical torture.

As Nick had shuffled himself backwards along the floor, away from his kill, he had unintentionally allowed his tail to drape itself in the puddle of blood that had formed, picking up the vicious crimson liquid like a large paintbrush.

Nick hadn't even noticed… he still hadn't taken his eyes off the now dead Cheetah: the Cheetah who he had just brutally murdered by tearing his neck completely open. Nick was still reeling from the bloodlust that had overcame him, and his claws dug into the stone as he stayed sat on the floor with his arms propping him up behind him, and his tail between his outstretched legs.

He was scared more than anything, scared of himself that he had actually fallen to that natural predatory urge to kill…

But then Nick remembered what Catherine had told him earlier… all it was, was survivors instinct. That Cheetah was going to kill him, and he would have killed the others too. There were two options in any situation like that, fight or flight… Nick chose to fight, and when lives are on the line… that usually means kill.

Nick allowed that realisation to sink in, even though he wasn't sure he believed it or not… it was the only way he could get himself past it… and soon, he was brought out of his trance again, by the very same Snow Leopard who gave him that advice;

"Hey… You alright?" Catherine asked him in a genuinely concerned tone of voice as she placed a paw on his shoulder.

Nick barely heard her as she spoke… it took a while for him to realise she was talking to him, as his mind processed the words heard by his ears.

After a few long seconds, Nick responded with a small nod, breaking his stare on the dead feline, and spoke quietly;

"Yea…"

It was a convincing response, and he proceeded to diffuse any other prying question as he looked down at the painted blood trail that his tail had made, and then his tail itself, that had made said trail;

"Great…" Nick began, reverting to his defensive mechanism of using humour, and changing the subject, "… If I wasn't covered in enough blood already…" Nick moaned.

"Don't worry… it'll wash out, eventually…" Catherine huffed lightly, responding to the Fox's dark humour, "… At least it's not your blood,"

"Heh… yea… suppose that makes a change for today," Nick theorised, as he moved himself to his feet to stand up, Catherine offering him a paw to assist.

As Catherine had gone to Nick, Fang went over to his fellow lupine. Wolford was still lying on the floor on his side, further away with his limbs and tail spread out gracelessly having been given a beating far more than he could take… his breathless wheezes kicked up the dust settled on the stone floor. Eventually, he manged to right himself as Fang came over to him, groaning as he attempted to lift himself from lying on the cold stone floor… even though just sitting up was difficult enough.

"Easy buddy…" Fang muttered, coming to his aid.

"What took you guys so long?" Wolford mumbled, as he finally sat up, leaning against one of the broken church pews.

"We, ran into some trouble…" Fang answered, sitting next to him, and gently rubbing the bridge of his pained muzzle, "Though, I guess you already knew that…"

"Yea…" Wolford paused as he still tried to catch his breath, "But I didn't doubt you guys for a second… thanks for comin to get me,"

"I'd say it was no problem…" Fang pause for a small snicker, "… but-"

"Nothing else need saying mate," Wolford chuckled.

He promptly stopped as a pain hit his chest from his possible broken ribs, and then moved his right paw to apply pressure to the knife wound on his shoulder.

Fang noticed;

"How's the wounds?"

"Was better," Wolford winced as he now brought his blood stained paw from his shoulder, "… Fu*kin mad cheetah over there opened them when he knocked me down,"

Fang glanced over to the very dead Cheetah;

"Who was he?"

"Tatizo Duma… was Marine in the ZDF-"

"Well… I guess that explains a lot," Fang interrupted, referring to the fact that any armed combatant in the Zootopia Defence Force, _had_ to be capable in some form paw-to-paw combat... clearly the (now dead) Cheetah had taken it a few steps further.

"Yea…" Wolford agreed, "He was dishonourably discharged for reasons I don't know and couldn't give a flying fu*k about… all I know is he never said a word and was a fu*kin psycho," he practically growled, "You did the world a favour putting him down for good-"

"The fu*k happened in here!?" a questioning yell from the Tiger echoed from the church entrance, revealing the other three of the SWAT Team that had just staggered inside. Mchorn and Delgato were either side of Grizzoli, helping him walk as the Lion limped forward, leaning on his comrades.

"We had… err…" Fang began, trailing off…

"A cheetah problem," Nick finished.

"Yea… that…"

That only led the others to make a subtle agreeing nod, considering there was nothing else that needed saying as Mchorn and Delgato brought Grizzoli up the aisle to meet the others. He was fully conscious right now, but he still seemed a bit dazed.

"How are you Leonard?" Catherine asked him.

"I'm err… err..." the Lion responded unsurely, "I'll live… maybe," he then paused a moment as he went to scratch under his chin; "Where's Mike?"

"Over here," Wolford answered with a feeble raise of his good arm.

"How's the knife wounds?" Grizzoli asked him, as the Rhino and the Tiger helped him down to sit on the floor.

"Just gimme a dressing and I'll manage for now," the Wolf lulled, "… what I want more than anything at the moment is a beer… an ice. Cold. Beer."

"I could sure go for one of those too-" Delgato added, now kneeling down to tend to Wolford's injuries with what was left inside Catherine's personal medkit.

"I think we all could," Grizzoli muttered, tuning to Wolford, he made a half-joke; "Glad to see they didn't rough you up too much,"

"Well I got stabbed in my leg and shoulder… I guess those don't count…"

"Try getting blown up by an RPG…"

"Yea, I hear it's quite the mishap," Catherine interjected jestingly, reminding the Lion she had nearly suffered the same event.

"Oh yea…" Grizzoli responded, "you alright?"

"Yea…" she answered, "… after surviving a helicopter crash already today, that was nothing really-"

"From the sounds of it, you guys have really been through it…" Wolford piped up again.

"You haven't even heard the worst of it yet," Fang mentioned.

"But I think we'll save that story for later," Grizzoli added, then went on to ask Wolford in a thoughtful tone; "What happened to you though? How did you lose your cover?"

Wolford made a forlorn huff before he answered, "Was rather wishing you didn't ask that," he said as he looked down at his feet, before continuing, "… I don't think I was even successfully undercover… I think they knew from the beginning I was a cop…"

Wolford continued to explain sadly as the others hung on his every word.

"… I didn't do anything wrong, but they never let me out of their sight- I could barely get any information out… and it turns out they played me… making me give you lot false intel that I thought was right…" he paused a moment as he brought his paws to his forehead to massage his brow, "God knows how many of our colleagues and friends have died because I failed-"

"Mike, don't put yourself down," Mchorn interjected, "I'm sure you did all you could-"

"I couldn't save the others," he interrupted, referring to the other undercover cops; "… they were shot dead right in front of me and all I could do was watch… and that's after they beat them to a bloody pulp and tortured them… all just for fun…"

Wolford trailed off his sentence as he looked down at his feet, while the others stayed silent to comprehend the traumatic experience their friend must have endured just to stay alive himself.

"They have to die… all of them," Wolford looked up from his feet, changing his gaze between each of his comrades, "There's no point taking any moral high ground, they've gone too far- … the things I've seen, the things they've done… the things they forced me to do… They don't deserve to live…"

"Personally Mike," Grizzoli cut in, "I think the rest of us would agree with you, but we aren't judge, jury and executioner-"

"To be honest Leonard… I don't really care… if I'd had fu*ked up worse and got killed as well I-" Wolford stopped suddenly; his voice became hoarse as he seemed to be holding back tears, "… I err…"

The others looked to him with worried expressions.

"Mike?"

"I… I didn't tell anyone this yet because I knew Bogo wouldn't even consider putting me for undercover… but…" he took a deep breath, before he revealed his own personal secret; "Elaine's pregnant… I'm gonna be a dad…"

In that brief moment after Wolford had revealed his wife's pregnancy, the worried expressions of his comrades immediately changed to that of joy.

"Congratulations,"Mchorn extolled.

"I'm adding that to the list of things I never thought I'd hear, see or do today," Fang joked.

"Were you trying? Or was it completely by accident?" Delgato kidded with a short laugh.

"Heh… fu*k off," Wolford responded heartily, joining in that short laugh.

"That's wonderful news…" Grizzoli added, "But, why the hell did you go for undercover if you knew?"

"Same reason you guys are here right now…" Wolford answered sternly, "to try and clean up this fu*kin city… and because I'm not raising my pups in a place reduced to lawless chaos…"

"Then we better make sure we take this fu*ker down," Fang commented.

"Might not be as simple as that…" Wolford countered, "… the only info I could get before I was found out, which I know is true, is that Roan has some kind of bomb-"

"Bomb?" Grizzoli asked.

"Yea… and he plans to use it… bigger than any of the others they've attacked with too," Wolford added, "Plus he had something else… but he kept that a secret from everyone accept his inner circle… which despite my best efforts, he wouldn't let me into-"

"Could it be anything to do with what's in this…?" Nick asked out loud from across the room.

The others then looked in his direction; the Fox had been rummaging through the junk pile of broken church pews where he had tossed his gun earlier, getting a little annoyed how a fairly recognisable 'r' shaped black polymer object could get so lost amongst a pile of rotting and splintered timber. But in amongst the heaps of broken wood, Nick did find something else: the transparent inhaler the Cheetah had used before their fight…

That same transparent inhaler… with the cool _blue_ liquid inside-

As Nick had called to them, he indicated to the inhaler he now displayed in his left paw;

"… Because this looks an _awful_ lot like Nighthowler serum,"

He threw the small plastic device to Grizzoli, the Lion catching it one handed easily in his larger paws, and held it out so the others could see it… the resemblance to the vicious cerulean neurotoxin was truly uncanny.

"In an inhaler?" Delgato asked bewilderedly.

"That Cheetah used it before he attacked us…" Nick explained, "… Took the four of us to bring him down-"

"But he didn't go savage…" Fang added.

"That doesn't make any sense…" Catherine spoke confusedly.

"Mike, you seen anything like this before?" Grizzoli asked him.

"No… this is news to me too," Wolford said worriedly, "but if they have somehow altered the serum, it would definitely be something to be kept secret…"

Grizzoli looked down at the inhaler in his paws before dropping it onto the floor with a disgruntled expression, murmuring out; "This is bad…"

"We have to make contact with the Chief," Mchorn inputted, "If there's nighthowlers involved with this, he needs to know,"

"We have no working radio-" Grizzoli stated.

"I also found this," Nick called over again, revealing his find; a slightly scuffed, but working radio… and tossed it to Grizzoli, who caught it easily again.

"Where?" the Lion asked.

"It was in the junk pile… I was trying to find my gun, which is still somewhere-" Nick explained, still looking through the wood pile- now finding his Glock just poking out underneath one of the timbers and picking it up, "… Ah… Here it is,"

"How's your ammo?" Fang asked him.

Nick slowly ejected the magazine, and counted the bullets inside before reinserting it into his pistol;

"Three rounds, plus the one in the chamber…" he answered, "So four… all but useless really,"

"We should all do an ammo check too," Grizzoli ordered.

"I'm fresh out," Mchorn said instantly.

"Me too," Fang added.

"That bloody cheetah broke my sniper rifle, and my pistol…" Catherine answered, "I got nothing,"

"I got six total…" Delgato spoke.

"And I've got, one mag…" Grizzoli huffed, "… So between us we have…" he did a very quick mental sum, "… Seventeen rounds-"

"There's an armoury in the basement… plenty of weapons and ammo…" Wolford revealed, "Only problem is it's all behind a locked three inch thick steel door that I don't know the code to…"

"Rick?" Grizzoli looked to the Rhino with a sly smile.

Mchorn returned the smile, and cracked his knuckles;

"I love a challenge…"

A round of chuckles followed that statement.

"Good," Grizzoli commented, "better see if this radio works first… I doubt the chief is gonna be pleased we're kitting ourselves up with evidence… just hope this thing is on the right frequency-"

"That's the radio Roan threw away after talking to Bogo…" Wolford stated, "It should still be on the same channel…"

Satisfied, Grizzoli brought the radio to his mouth and spoke into it decisively;

"Checkpoint Alpha… this is Team 1, do you read?"

…

Nothing but silence came in response as they all listened and waited.

Grizzoli tried again;

"Checkpoint Alpha… this is Team 1, how copy?"

…

Again… Nothing.

…

"Checkpoint Alpha… this is Team 1, do you copy?"

…

Static.

…

"Checkpoint Alpha… this is Team 1, do yo-" -

…

* * *

" _Checkpo- lpha… -his- Te- one- ou rea-?_ "

A slurred jumble of words and static inside the Mobile Command Centre attained the attention of the three technicians-

And the small grey Rabbit sitting in the corner.

Judy's ears finally perked up high when she heard it, having had them drooped motionlessly behind her head ever since she was given the terrible news.

" _… -eckpoint Alpha… this is- … , ho- copy?_ "

"Clear up that signal!" the serval technician shouted.

But Judy didn't need a clear signal to tell whose voice it was- that of her Lion commanding officer. And quickly following the sound of static, Grizzoli's next communication came through crystal clear;

" _Checkpoint Alpha… this is Team 1, do you copy?_ "

"It's Team 1! They're alive!" the pig exclaimed, assigning the signal to one of the spare walkie-talkies, "Get the Chief-"

"Give it to me!" Judy yelled at the pig, actually startling the technician, having barely noticed the Rabbit's presence.

As the serval technician bounded outside the MCC to get the Chief, Judy had leaped up from her seating position and lumbered along on her oversized crutch with remarkable haste, fuelled by a wave of relief:

If Grizzoli was alive, maybe the others were too.

Maybe Nick really was ok all this time…

Maybe, just maybe… she could be spared her own mind's mental torture-

Snatching the radio from the technician harsher than intended, Judy spoke into it loudly;

* * *

\- "Checkpoint Alpha… this is Team 1, do yo-"

" _Leonard!?_ "

"Judy?" Grizzoli recoiled slightly from the loudness of her communiqué… enough for the others to hear around him-

Nick's ears perked up high just at the muffled sound of her voice, and couldn't hide the smile forming on his muzzle.

" _Are you all ok!?_ " Judy asked down the radio, with clear concern in her voice.

"Yea… mostly," Grizzoli responded slightly unsurely, "… where's Bogo?"

" _The Technicians just gone to get him- here he is now…_ "

There was a brief pause as the radio changed from small paws to large hoofs the other end, until Chief Bogo's voice quickly boomed down the radio;

" _Grizzoli, where the bloody hell have you been!?"_

"Trying to stay alive, sir…" Grizzoli responded in a quite uncommon sardonic tone, "… we lost comms because my radio was shot…"

" _Alright… What's your current situation?_ "

"We're all here, in the church, we got Wolford, and he'll recover just fine as long as he gets proper medical care soon. As for the rest of us, we're battered, bruised, bleeding and exhausted, and could well do with our own medical… we were separated for a while, Wilde and Fangmeyer we're on their own and came across the downed chopper… picked up a survivor-"

" _Survivor?_ "

"Detective Catherine Frost, sir… she's been providing sniper support for us since she joined us, been a real help to say the least,"

" _Ok… finally some semblance of good news…"_

"Err… hold that thought Chief…" Grizzoli warned, speaking slowly and clearly, "… Wolford has given us new intel that Fyodorov has some kind of large explosive device… also… new evidence has revealed we may have nighthowlers involved in this…"

There was a considerable pause as Bogo huffed emotionlessly the other end of the radio, prompting Grizzoli to ask;

"Copy sir?"

" _Copy… I'll alert EOD… for now, hold your position at the church until-_ "

"Problem with that…" Grizzoli interrupted, "… we're dry on ammo… we've got nothing to defend ourselves with if they come for us… but Wolford says there's an armoury downstairs. With your permission… if we can break our way in we can kit ourselves up with whatever's down there…"

"… _Granted,_ " Bogo responded with minor hesitation, "… _check it out and report back_ ," he ordered, " _Glad to hear you're still with us_ …"

* * *

" _Didn't know you cared that much sir…_ " Grizzoli joked on the other end of the radio.

"When it's your lives on the line I'd sooner be there with you fighting, than back here in command," Bogo quickly glanced at the small grey Rabbit beside him, "… and I'm not the only one…" he said sincerely, "… get to it and get back to me, and _don't_ lose your bloody radio again…"

" _Wilco sir, Team 1 out…_ "

Truer words had never been spoken. Judy found it quite humbling that the Chief was more than understanding of her situation, even if he didn't necessarily show it. As he had said on the radio, she would sooner be out there fighting with them than stuck back here…. Injured.

But finally she could put that terrible episode of her own malignant mind tricks behind her… Judy's heart finally stopped hurting and warmed again at the news.

Nick was alive… he was ok.

…

But today was still far from over…

* * *

"Right," Grizzoli muttered as he placed the radio on his gear, and turned to Wolford, "You better show us where this armoury is then…"

"This way…" he said, wincing as he attempted to rise to his feet, Mchorn quickly offering to help him, while Delgato helped Grizzoli up.

A short yonder to the narthex of the church led to a secluded wooden door. Mchorn outstretched his arm to open it, grabbing the handle… but rather than opening it, the aged wood broke away from the hinges as he pulled the door.

"Sometimes… I _don't_ think I know my own strength…" the Rhino announced, placing the door against the adjacent wall carefully.

Delgato patted him on the shoulder as he came up behind him;

"That's what we're counting on mate,"

As he was the only one of them with any usable ammunition, Delgato descended the tight stone staircase first, with his rifle raised. Mchorn followed, barely just managing to squeeze through the tiny passage.

"Watch your step… the stairs are uneven," Wolford said, limping behind them.

Grizzoli took to the stairs next, but before he went any further-

"Hey Leonard…"

Nick grabbed his attention;

".. Can I borrow the radio for a bit?" he asked unsurely "… There's someone I need talk to,"

"Sure," Grizzoli responded, tossing the radio back to the Fox-

"We'll stay with him-" Fang inputted, referring to Catherine and himself.

"No…" Nick snapped, unintentionally, causing them to look at him with concern. He continued firmly; "… Please… this is personal…"

There was a moment of almost awkward silence…

"Alright…" Grizzoli nodded slowly, "… catch up with us downstairs when you're done,"

Nick nodded in response as the Lion disappeared carefully down the uneven steps. Catherine went next, glancing back;

"Give us a shout if you need us,"

Nick nodded, and the Snow Leopard also disappeared down the steps, with the White Wolf following close behind her…

Leaving the Fox alone in the silent expanse of the abandoned church.

…

Nick took a deep breath, looking around him as the eerie silence once again returned… only the whistle of a harsh breeze could be heard fluttering in from the open church doors and holes in the roof, kicking up dust and forcing small stones and bullet casings to tumble across the cold stone floor.

Nick clutched the radio firmly, and carefully, as he willed himself to do what was somehow more terrifying than being in a gunfight.

He quickly brought the radio up in front of him… and hesitated-

…

He was going to tell her.

He was going to tell her… now;

…

"Team 1 to Checkpoint Alpha-"

" _That was quick Grizzoli_ ," Bogo responded quickly the other end of the radio.

"It's not sir, its Wilde…" he took a deep breath, "Chief… is Judy still there?"

There was a brief pause;

" _She is_."

…

"Can I speak to her?"

…

The channel went silent for a moment as the radio changed back to small paws from large hoofs.

In the break, Nick's heartrate suddenly began to race from his accelerating nerves… and a million thoughts began to race through his mind-

He shook his head to snap out of it.

He'd spoken to Judy many times- more times than he could count…

This was no different.

…

" _Nick…_ "

…

* * *

 **A/N: To be honest, I think of all the cliffhangers in this story… this is debatably the cruellest… muhahahahaaa! :D**

 **Also, as it's that time of year and I won't be posting till the day after, the day after the day; Merry Christmas to all you wonderful readers! If you celebrate Christmas… so I'll say Happy Holidays as well just to be safe ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 ** _'Combat Effective – Part 2'_**

* * *

Nick had spoken to Judy many times- more times than he could count…

This was no different.

…

" _Nick…_ "

…

* * *

…

It was different.

It had been just over an hour or so since he last talked to her in the back of the ambulance… the longest hour of his life, but still a trivial amount of time. Even so, after the ordeals he had suffered through today- leading to him finally admitting to himself how much he loved the Bunny behind that tender voice, Nick somehow found himself unable to say anything.

And he just realised a full five seconds had gone by and he still hadn't…

…

" _Nick?_ "

…

"… Hey Carrots," Nick soothed, pausing for an abnormal amount of time, "… You err-"

" _Are yo-_ "

They spoke simultaneously, interrupting one another, and promptly stopped to listen, only to once again come to silence.

"Sorry I-" Nick began.

" _How ar-_ " Judy began.

They both chuckled lightly for a moment, having interrupted each other again, until;

" _You go first_ ," Judy lulled.

"Alright," Nick chuckled again, trying to think of something to say with another abnormally long pause, before he asked randomly; "… Shouldn't you be in hospital?"

" _You know me… can't stay in one spot for too long, not in uniform anyway,_ " Judy explained cheerily, " _I've been helping around though,_ "

"What good are you with a busted leg?" Nick joked.

" _Hey! I'm always helpful_ ," Judy answered in good-humour, " _and it's already healing_ … _told you that before,_ "

Nick smiled warmly, and asked sincerely, the tone of worry clear in his voice; "You doin ok?"

" _Yea… it does hurt at times… but it's nothing I can't handle,_ " Judy told a white lie, then asked, the concern clear in her voice; " _You're not hurt, are you?_ "

"Me?" Nick looked down at himself… and plainly lied; "… Naa… Just a few cuts and bruises… probably… don't worry about me though,"

Judy wasn't entirely convinced he was telling the truth. She could often tell when Nick was lying… though down the slightly garbled signal of a radio, it was hard to tell… but she continued regardless, speaking the words directly from her heart;

"… _I'm glad you're ok Nick_ … _When I heard we'd lost contact… I was so worried_ ,"

"Sorry about that… it's been pretty hectic here…" Nick explained, and took a deep breath, "It's just… so good, to hear your voice, Judy,"

Not that he could see it, he knew she was smiling from the break in the conversation, until she asked;

" _You been kicking a lot of criminal tail then?_ " Judy said vigorously.

"Yea…" Nick breathed, "You wouldn't believe how much action you've missed-"

" _Trust me, I could hear the gunfire… also, who blew up the church tower?_ "

Nick made a guilty chuckle; "Eh-he… that might have been me,"

" _Trust you to do something crazy like that-_ " Judy joked.

"I can't take all the credit for that Fluff… I learned from the craziest…" Nick teased, referring to his partner in law enforcement: the very Bunny the other end of the radio he was talking to. He could hear Judy chuckling through the radio, clearly trying to hide it… it was like music to his ears;

"Listen, Judy… I, err… I got something to tell you…"

…

" _Yea?_ "

…

"It's important,"

…

" _Go on…_ "

…

"I'm… not quite sure how to say it…"

…

" _Nick, honestly, you can tell me anything… just say it,_ " Judy soothed.

…

"Err…" he cleared his throat.

…

This was it, this was the moment.

He was going to say it.

He was going to say it now…

…

"I err…"

…

But instead… Nick broke.

…

It didn't feel right.

As much as he wanted to say those three simple words to her…

He couldn't do it.

It was as if his heart and mind were fighting a war against each other for control of his vocal chords.

His heart wanted to say it.

But his mind told him, right now… it was wrong.

…

And his mind won.

…

"… I'll… wait- to tell you in person,"

…

" _That important, huh?_ " Judy asked cheerily, hiding the hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Yea…" Nick huffed, "… pretty big…" turning to humour to also hide the hint of disappointment in his own voice.

…

"… I gotta go Carrot's… everyone's gonna be wondering about me, and we got a job to finish…"

" _Ok… be safe Nick, please…_ "

"You too… and I'll see you soon…"

…

And the transmission ended.

…

* * *

Nick just stared blankly in front of him as he let his elevated arm holding the radio drop down to his side… and subsequently let the radio free from his paw; the small black device landed with a thud on the floor. He then slouched back against the nearest wall, closing his eyes and bringing both his paws to his forehead as he dropped slowly to his rear with a frustrated groan.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Nick mumbled to himself, proceeding to lean his head forward to smack it backwards against the stone wall, "Why didn't you tell her? … You stupid, dumb fu- ah! … Son of a-"

Nick flinched when the back of his head hit the stone… hurting significantly considering his head had been bashed enough today… now in his own frustration he was doing it to himself.

He groaned in annoyance as he brought his right paw to massage the place he just hit, mumbling to himself again;

"Why didn't you tell her?-"

"Yea… Why didn't you tell her Nick?"

The Fox almost jumped out of his fur when a second voice suddenly interrupted his own personal mental (and partly physical) punishment. Nick looked over to the open door entrance to the basement stairs, where sure enough, Nick recognised the ruffled, dirty and blood stained white fur of his fellow officer. He could only see Fang's head popping up above the first step down, with a rather annoyingly teachable expression on his face.

"How long have you been there?" Nick asked harshly.

"Long enough-"

"I told you it was _personal_."

"Sue me for being curious…" Fang raised his paws in defence, now making himself more visible as he came up and sat on the top step, "… you helped me with something personal earlier… only fair I help you…"

"I don't need your help Fang,"

"Well you're getting it anyway," the Wolf said smugly, "…so tell me honestly… why didn't you tell her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Nick said innocently.

"You really doin this? … Come on Nick, I heard enough of that conversation-"

"Which was _supposed_ to be private…"

"In a world where nearly everyone has hypertensive hearing? Nothing is private,"

"Hrrmm…" Nick groaned, with a begrudged expression, looking directly in front of him.

"Plus… you and Judy, are so obvious-"

"You mean like you and Catherine?" Nick went on the offensive, turning to look at his fellow converser.

"Touché Wilde…" Fang smirked, "At least she and I already know it…"

Nick looked away, and sighed. There was no getting out of this conversation, so he just told the truth;

"It… It wasn't the right time for it…" he said regretfully.

…

Fang genuinely looked confused; "Wasn't the right time for it?"

"Yea…"

"You realise half the department think you two are already a couple?"

Nick's ears perked up in surprise; "Wha?- How?"

"Because you two are always flirting with each other… _always_ ," Fang expressed.

"It's just a bit of banter… not flirting-"

"No, it's flirting… And trust me, I'm not the only one who's noticed… ask any of them downstairs," Fang revealed.

There was quite a long pause.

"And… everyone's ok with that?" Nick asked worriedly.

"Yea… to be honest I'm one of the ones who thought you two _were_ already a couple… why wouldn't we be ok with it?"

"I just thought…" Nick paused, "… an interspecies relationship is enough trouble without it being between predator and prey-"

"Not necessarily…" Fang interrupted, "… I had a short fling with this roe deer girl once-"

"A fling? That's not a relationship…"

"It was enough for us to say the 'L' word to each other,"

"So how did that end up then? Because you're obviously not still with her," Nick pried.

"Errmm… errr…" Fang hesitated, "Not… well…" He turned his head to see Nick's judging expression; "But that doesn't mean if you go out with Judy it's gonna crash like a plane with only one wing…"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence…" Nick said sarcastically, "You're not very good at this…"

"Go easy on me… it's my first time," Fang smiled "… popping my ' _relationship consultation_ ' cherry…"

They both laughed openly, until Fang spoke again;

"This can't be the first time you've been in this situation…"

"No, because I've definitely never been sitting in a craphole of an abandoned church, covered in not only my own blood before, talking to a wolf about my relationship problems…" Nick again had resulted to sarcasm.

Fang looked at him scathingly with one raised eyebrow; "You know what I mean…"

Nick looked away; "Yea… I have… couple of times," he said quietly, "But they were vixens… this is different-"

"Not really, I mean, as long as you like her… why should species matter? Do you think the fact Catherine's a snow leopard bothers me?"

"But you're both still predators… that's norma-"

"Look Nick," Fang interrupted, "… this is Zootopia… and-" he practically cringed, " _god forbid,_ the thought I'm actually using this phrase as advice… but anyone _can_ be anything… and that includes being with _anyone_ too, pred or prey… if it's meant to be…"

Nick huffed amusedly. He couldn't actually believe that phrase had just been said as a piece of advice, to _him_ of all mammals;

"I dunno Fang…" Nick said doubtfully, "I don't even know if she feels the same way-"

"I, and everyone else would be overcome with shock if she doesn't Nick… I can say that much with _a lot_ of confidence…"

There was a few long seconds of silence between them, until Fang once again, broke it;

"So, let me ask you again… Why didn't you tell her?"

"I don't know," Nick answered, "I don't even know what happened… I wanted to say it, but I just couldn't… not now anyway…"

"Well, this setting is _hardly_ romantic…" Fang stated and then looked at his watch, "but it's barely past 10am yet… you still got all day to do it,"

"Maybe…" Nick began, peering at his own watch, "… but I still gotta make it out of here _alive_ first to do anything about it,"

"You've done well so far-"

"Wasn't from lack of trying," Nick chuckled.

"Believe me, I know…" Fang chortled, "And if you want my honest opinion, after the sh*t we've been through today… you're far from the SWAT rookie you were an hour ago-"

"Has it really only been an hour?"

"Very long fu*kin hour…"

They both made a short laugh at that, during which, Nick brought a paw to massage his left brow, as Fang now stood up from the top step he was sitting on.

"I said earlier I got your back," the Wolf began "so I'll make sure you get your chance to tell her… I kinda owe it to you after you saved my life several times today," he then turned around to travel back down the stairs, murmuring; "… Plus, I got thirty bucks riding on it…"

"What?-"

"Nothing!" Fang's cheery voice echoed up the stairs; "You coming down or what?"

"Yea," Nick answered, "just… gimme a minute,"

…

Nick paused a moment, now alone again in the utter silence of the deserted church. He decided to stand back up, brushing off the dust from his battered gear and ruffled, blood stained fur, and straightening the undershirt of his SWAT gear.

He looked down at the radio he dropped on the floor, and leaned over to pick it back up.

Nick considered contacting her again… as much as he wanted to-

It still didn't feel right, not now.

And even despite Fang's reassurance, Nick was still scared what she would say back…

But the Wolf was right: as Nick thought a moment how he and Judy acted around each other, anyone could mistake that they were a couple already…

The way they talked to each other. The way they laughed with each other. The way they worked out their disagreements rather than fighting over them… the way they always had each other's backs- the way he looked at her… and she looked at him.

It actually made Nick smile widely as he stood there thinking about it.

And as for staying alive today… he _had_ done well so far… mostly; having already had death's grasp upon him and shoved it away. And he had his squad- a group of friends, all brothers in arms watching his back and each other's, and he watching theirs.

But the very threat of getting himself killed still lingered… Nick brought his free left paw to wipe his neck where the Cheetah had tried to cut his carotid artery: only a spit of blood seeped from the incision into his skin beneath his fur, leaving a small stain like the rest of his injuries…. Any second longer, and there would have been a Fox dead on the floor in a puddle of his own blood, instead of a Cheetah.

And there were likely to be more mammals like him… there was still a vicious crime lord to take down and still an unknowable number of armed accomplices.

The very threat of all of them still not getting out of this alive had not dissipated from earlier… only now they knew what they were up against.

…

Nick was torn between two decisions right now as he held that radio firm;

He could contact her again… and tell her now.

Or he could wait, and tell her in person.

And both decisions rested on the thought of whether he would survive the day… however doubtful he was sure he could. There had been too many close calls already, he was sure he had even seen a glimpse of whatever life there was after death when he had fallen from the building-

But as Nick reflected on that near death experience, he remembered how he had come back from it:

Nick had promised her, he would make it back in one piece… to see her again.

…

And that was a promise Nick intended to keep.

…

Nick's face turned serious as he looked again at the radio in his right paw… but he didn't use it.

If he was going to confess to Judy that he loved her… he was going to do it in person, not through the distorted words and static of a bashed up walkie-talkie... he was going to do it when today was over, when he was safe, when Judy was safe, when everyone was safe… after they had made Zootopia a better place for taking down this murderous crime lord.

Nick placed the radio set on his gear, leaving it be, and instead, slowly reached to the single zip pocket which inside held the most important thing in the world to him right now:

Judy's carrot pen.

…

Nick looked at it closely… a small hunk of orange and green plastic meant to look like a carrot, with a refillable ballpoint pen and a dictaphone inside. He wondered sometimes how Judy even wrote with this thing… it wasn't a particularly wieldy pen, whenever he used it at least… and he cursed the hell out of that dictaphone whenever Judy used it against him…

But even so…

It was completely unexplainable how much that pen meant to him.

To anyone else, it was just a pen, albeit with its unique dictation feature.

But to Nick, it was something special, just like there was something special about her… there had always been something special about her.

That's why he held onto it all that time, after she had turned on him… and then came back to him.

Nick thought nothing of it at the time… it was a friendship. An odd friendship, a special friendship… a friendship that blossomed into something more. Something he couldn't quite understand… only that he wanted to spend every available empty second of his life with that Bunny-

…

But just in case…

…

Nick brought the pen up to his muzzle…

And pressed record.

"…"-

* * *

It was another minute before Nick eventually descended the darkened stairs to the church basement… thanking his natural night vision that he could still see anything as the staircase became almost pitch-black after it turned a corner. It went down a surprisingly long way, deeper than a standard basement; the smell of damp and mould was very potent, and moss was even growing on the walls.

When Nick reached the bottom, he could hear the sound of something thumping hard against metal, muffled by a large and heavy hardwood door that was left ajar. Nick pushed the door hard, barely budging at all. It only just opened enough so he could slink his way through the small gap he had made.

The basement room was less dark; grills in the ceiling allowed light to pass through from the church above, revealing the rest of his fellow SWAT officers. The others were standing back as Mchorn attempted to break down the coded steel door to the secret armoury with Delgato's aid. The room itself was quite large. Thick timbers ran along the walls and ceiling for additional support, and other thick and heavy wood doors led to other mysterious chambers. Halfway down the room, a brick wall sectioned off the rest of the main chamber, which is where the coded steel door had been installed.

"Everything alright?" Grizzoli asked Nick as the Fox strolled up to join them.

"Yea," the Fox answered, handing the radio back to the Lion, "how's the break in goin?"

"Won't budge…" Delgato looked backwards, backing away from the door, overhearing Nick's question, "This thing's locked solid…"

After one last metallic thud by shoving of all his weight, Mchorn too, gave up, also backing away from the door. Although several clear dents had been made in the reinforced plate of steel, the entrance to the secret armoury was still intact.

"How does a criminal organisation get a high tech door like this anyway?" Fang asked openly.

"Same way they get their weapons… probably…" Wolford suggested, "Black market and such,"

"You don't know?" Grizzoli questioned.

Wolford shook his head; "No, this was already installed before I went undercover…"

"Are there any other options to get in?"

"We could dry blasting it open-" Delgato proposed.

"But we don't have any explosives," Catherine commented.

"I could go and see if there's another rocket for that RPG," Nick joked.

"No way!" Fang cut in, "I don't feel safe when you've got anything explosive in reach Nick,"

"I agree," Catherine piled on.

"Won't work anyway… the thing is blast resistant," Wolford stated.

"There's gotta be a weak spot or something…" Delgato pondered.

"Lock pick?" Fang suggested.

"There is no lock _to_ pick, just a keypad… it's all electric,"

"Which mean there has to be a power supply… so-"

"Oh… Fu*k this!"

Mchorn's sudden outburst of profanity took them all by surprise, and they promptly moved instantly out of the way as the Rhino charged forward with enough force in his steps he made the ground shake, and the dust fall from the ceiling…

And he carried on charging until he slammed into the thick steel door… but rather than breaking the door down, Mchorn blasted his way through the entire wall, ripping the door frame from the wall itself and the bricks around it. The slab of steel hit the floor behind with an echoing metallic thud followed by the sound of crumbling bricks and mortar as the wall fell through as well, kicking up a fine layer of dust which forced them all to shield their faces.

Silence fell in the room, followed by a few coughs, and a couple more clunks of falling bricks. The others finally looked back and congregated round the wobbly Rhino to see the result of his impudent charge.

"Rick…" Wolford spoke to him, "… You're only supposed to knock the bloody door down…"

After a pause;

"Can't argue with that result… can you? Might be blast resistant, but is isn't rhino resistant," Mchorn shrugged, followed by him holding his head, "Ow…"

"Why don't you, sit down… for a bit," Grizzoli said to him.

Mchorn responded with a small nod and a winced; "Yea…"

As he sat himself down, the others climbed over the small rubble pile to inspect the armoury-

"Holy sh*t…" Fang muttered in shock, after entering the armoury first.

In complete contrast to the rest of the church, the secret armoury looked well maintained, and had clearly been fitted in recent years. As soon as Fang entered, a motion sensor triggered a series of fluorescent tube lights, revealing the unbelievable cache stored inside:

Crates upon crates of ammunition of different calibre bullets, shotgun shells, and racks upon racks and cases of weapons alike; assault rifles, machineguns and submachineguns, shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols and more, as well as their respected magazines… the armoury was more akin to that of a military base than a secret cache in a church basement.

Each of the police officers walked in with eyes widened in amazement.

"Kinda puts our SWAT armoury to shame-" Catherine said openly.

"There must be hundreds of thousands of bullets in here," Delgato commented, having inspected the stock in the ammo crates.

"Check out some of these weapons…" Fang point out, having been looking around the shotguns; he picked up and advertised an AA-12 automatic shotgun, and said with gusto, "I'm havin this…"

"You should see the armoury they got at the construction site… it's even bigger than this, and they converted the unfilled pool into a garage and workshop," Wolford remarked while he was moving a heavy crate across the floor, clearly struggling, "But there is still, a little hidden gem in here…"

Fang and Delgato moved to help him drag the ammo crate across the floor, revealing another placed behind it, and continuing to drag out the new crate. The three of them lifted it up to rest on the other huge box of bullets, and pried open the lid… the contents inside causing Fang and Delgato's eyes to widen further in surprise.

"Whoa…" Delgato let out, "Glad they didn't have this in that firefight…"

"Hey Rick…" Wolford called to him, "Got a present for you here!"

The Rhino responded, and came to investigate his little gift, smiling almost maliciously as he saw it; it made his pained head completely worth it.

Inside the crate… was an M134 minigun.

"It must be my birthday," Mchorn said, picking up the six barrelled death machine… still somehow looking undersized to him.

"More like Christmas…" Catherine commented behind them, as she had just been inspecting her new sniper rifle: an L115A3 AWM. Looking up, she continued concernedly; "Have to wonder what they were planning to do with all of this… there's enough weapons and ammo here to start a war,"

"And that's why we gotta stop that psycho…" Nick spoke sternly from behind one of the ammo shelves where nobody could see him, having picked out several already loaded magazines for his (almost) empty G17.

"You suggesting we carry on to the construction site?" Grizzoli asked him, "We've done enough already…"

Nick made himself visible, moving to the side of the shelf and hanging from it, revealing he was three feet off the floor until he jumped down;

"Well, I just thought…"

"With this lot now, how could we not?" Mchorn backed him up, still firmly holding his minigun.

"I'm sure as well, it was your original mission to arrest Fyodorov before you had to come save my sorry tail…" Wolford added.

"Exactly… getting that ba*tard is our mission… that's what we all came here to do," Delgato explained, "The only thing stopping us was the lack guns and ammo… which we now have…"

"We've come this far…" Fang affirmed, "… We gotta finish what we started…"

Grizzoli didn't respond verbally, he simply nodded his head with a proud smile, and as the others continued to inspect their new stock of weaponry, he went to unclip the radio from his gear again, and spoke loudly;

"Team 1 to Checkpoint Alpha, how copy?"

" _Copy._ " Chief Bogo's voice responded instantly, " _What's the score Grizzoli?_ "

"In short…" he looked around the armoury once more before speaking again; "I'm looking at enough guns and ammo for a small army, for a very long war… plenty for each of us to restock-"

" _Alright,_ " Bogo interjected, " _That storm the news mentioned before is going to hit soon, so arm yourselves and hold position at the church and wait for Teams 2 and 3 to regroup with you-_ "

"And sit and defend?" Grizzoli asked forcefully. The sudden tone he'd taken while speaking on the radio caught everyone's attention; "With respect, Chief… Me and my team… We've come to a unanimous decision… with this cache we're going to finish this mission now-"

" _No Grizzoli… that's an order, to all of you… stay in the church and hold your position-_ "

"No Chief…" he said vehemently, "… if we wait any longer the perps have more time to fortify or remobilise, and then all our progress will have been for nothing…"

" _Sergeant, you and your team have done enough already… I'm not having you risking your lives again just to bring in this criminal-_ "

"But that's exactly what we came here for…" Grizzoli interrupted vigorously, "… we came here to do a job, no matter the danger… we know what we're up against Chief… we're ready for this… Let us finish this. _Now_."

There was a long pause before Bogo responded again, this time with less force behind his voice;

"… _As long as your team is still combat effective_ …"

Grizzoli turned his attention away from the radio, and looked to his team with a smile;

"Well?"

Nick, Catherine, Fang, Wolford, Mchorn and Delgato each looked at Grizzoli with expressions of the upmost fortitude… they had come through hell and returned, each and every one of them had stared death in the face and pushed it away… battered, bruised and bleeding they might be…

But their resolve couldn't be higher; they were ready to finish this fight;

"You already said it… we're ready for this," Nick spoke out, causing the others to look at him, once again astounded by the Fox's resilience.

"We came here to put a crime lord down…" Fang said with a sly smile, "Let's fu*kin put him down…"

"And the sooner we're done, the sooner we can go to a bar and get hammered," Delgato injected, resulting in a few throaty chuckles.

Completely satisfied, Grizzoli turned back to the radio;

"Sir… Team 1 is _fully_ combat effective… we're finishing this mission now. Out."

And then the Lion turned back to his team, ordering;

"Gear up."

...

* * *

 **A/N: Apologies for the update coming a little late today… I still wasn't sure if I was completely happy how this chapter turned out, plus I waited till the end of the chapter for this authors note considering that cliffhanger last week, you lovely readers probably wanted to dive straight into it! But I doubt any of you are thanking me for the outcome of that conversation… especially after a few of you reviewers expressed your discontent with last week's cliffhanger… which I kinda deserved! :D Sorry!**

 **Though I'm glad everyone is liking it, this chapter can count as my late Christmas present to you all… but you'll have to stay tuned to see what happens, and there's still a lot more action to come ;)**

 **Unfortunately, I apologise again because the next update definitely won't be for another two weeks at least, possibly three, as I've fallen so far behind on writing this. Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following… means a lot to hear what all you wonderful readers think of my story.**

 **Hope you all had a good Christmas and a good holiday, and I wish you all a Happy New Year in advance :)**


	17. Mid-Story AN

**HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! … bit late, but the year is still young!**

 **Now I had hoped to avoid making one of these, but I feel like I owe it to you all… so… Welcome to the longest Authors Note… EVEEEERRRRRR!-**

 **But seriously, don't worry, this isn't one of those mid story A/N's where I say I've given up writing this story… I'd be ashamed of myself if I did and not given the ending that all you wonderful readers deserve :)**

 **This is just a mid-story progress report for those who are interested or concerned on my progress writing this… So I sincerely apologise for the misleading notification today for this update, but please understand that if I was going to have a big gap between chapter uploads… NOW is the time to do it, because you will all probably curse my name if I did it later, since it's pretty much non-stop to the end now ;)**

 **Anyway, the next three chapters are all ready to upload (I think), but they've taken me since December to churn out because I had that writers block to get through, and I want to make sure I'm far enough ahead with my writing so I can upload regularly. I am now approaching the part of the story I've been wanting to write for months, so hopefully I'll be a lot more productive, because my original plan was to update twice a week when I got to the climax… but there's no guarantees for that… I'm not the most productive writer out there to be honest! :P**

 **I should hopefully start uploading again next week on the 17th January with Chapter 17 (which is part one of a two part, just saying), but if for some reason I fail to upload then, I will DEFINITELY upload the week after on the 24th January… so I am genuinely sorry for making you all wait a bit longer, though I promise it will be worth it… hopefully :)**

 **Despite this, I have taken some extra time to make some replies to your reviews… I think they're long overdue :)**

 **I've only gone back as far as my November updates to reply, think any further is backtracking too much, but if I haven't replied to your own review don't take it personally… it doesn't mean I appreciate it any less than the others :)**

 **They should be all in order from whoever reviewed last.**

* * *

 **Replies to Reviews**

* * *

 **Drag0nf1y**

Thanks for telling me that, I actually didn't know that about radios before that you couldn't interrupt anyone while using them. It makes sense now that I think about it… though it doesn't help that my only knowledge of them is from films, videogames and the power of the Google search. I might have to change that dialogue at some point because it's kind of getting on my nerves now that you pointed that out, haha! Although the whole point of Nick and Judy interrupting each other at the start of the conversation was to elaborate the awkwardness and the concern between them, somewhat. Still, learn something new every day! Thanks for your review, and I'm glad you're liking the story ;)

 **Guest – Reviewing Chapter 16**

Yea, with all that ammo, weapons and gear they'll sure be ready for a fight ;)

 **kirbster676**

Thanks, really means a lot to say this is your number one story, I really appreciate it :)

 **Zootopian Fulf**

Thanks for the continued compliments every chapter, I'm glad you're liking it :)

 **TortillaOverlord**

Yea, the whole one hour timeline is even more unbelievable as I've been writing it! Haha! Though writing this fic has just been so unpredictable it's taken me a lot longer to write it than I initially intended (and it ended up being a lot longer than I planned, I mean like… a LOT longer), and therefore its really hindered my uploads, sorry. Even so, I'm so glad you're liking it! And there'll be a lot more action to come ;) thank you for your reviews!

 **Fox in the hen house**

Don't worry, you'll be getting more… err… soon. And Nick isn't going to die! ... maybe? :o hehehe… And I'll have you know I asked for socks and underwear at Christmas and still didn't get any! Thanks for your reviews, glad you're loving the story, and get ready for some more action ;)

 **Slickknicky**

Glad you're liking it, and yes, Judy's never going to want to use the dictaphone in her pen ever again ;)

 **thefox5353**

Thanks! I intend to keep up the awesome work… well, hopefully ;)

 **StoryCrusader**

Heh, suspense building seems to be something I'm good at, and I couldn't think of any better way to end Chapter 12 than for Nick to do that, haha! Glad you're liking it! :)

 **Guest – Reviewing Chapter 14**

I can see what you're saying, though the whole point for that fight scene in the church was to show that no-one at one point had the upper hand (or paw in this case, since this is Zootopia), even in a four-on-one, and had no chance to pick up a weapon, or in my OC: Catherine's case, Duma physically broke her sniper rifle and her pistol to force her into paw-to-paw combat. Plus, trying to make sure each of the four protagonists get a shot in the limelight during that fight was a real challenge to write! If you want to see the fight scene I based that one off, type: ' _The Raid: Mad Dog Final Fight_ ' into Youtube, it's one of the best martial arts fight scenes out there. Thanks for your review, and I'm glad you like the story, and I promise you I'm writing as fast as I can ;)

 **DrummerMax64**

As you are one of the few readers who I know has seen 'THE RAID' I kinda feel like I've got to impress you for two reasons: To make a good Zootopia fic with enough hardcore and inventive action to justify calling it: 'Zootopia: THE RAID'… and thanks to you compliments, I feel like I have achieved that. I'm really pleased you like my story; it's nice to know I've done the film justice (or both films in this case) with my writing, despite the major changes I've made… though as you're probably aware, I've now ran out of film to err… rip off, haha! Trust me though, if you like THE RAID, I'm pretty sure you'll like the rest of the story ;) Thanks for your reviews, they're all appreciated just as much as the last :)

 **Eragon05**

After you pointed that out I went to skim read that chapter and you are very correct… same bloody four words keep appearing! Gahhh! Thanks for pointing that out though, I'll be sure to rectify it when I come to reread and edit this story and put some different words in there. I did mainly use those ones because "immediately", "swiftly", "quickly", and "instantly" are synonyms and Microsoft Word's synonym tool is a bit limited itself sometimes. Excuses excuses- anyway… I'm glad to hear I always make your day with an upload, so I also apologise for the long wait at the moment, sorry, but I'm still so glad you like it. Thanks for your review… and by all means, give me a second sometime! Haha :D

 **Jay – Guest – Reviewing Chapter 14**

Well only those last four chapters were weekly during December, the long wait at the moment is so I can get more chapters ready so I don't keep you all in suspense for too long. Anyway, I'm glad the fight scene came across visually like I'd hoped, it was quite a challenge to choreograph with only words to use. So glad you're liking it, and don't worry, there's still a lot more to this story before we get to the end. Thanks for your review :)

 **Erinnyes01**

For you to say I'm in the top three authors of the Zootopia fandom for writing action sequences, that really means a lot… I hope I can still live to that expectation with the climax of this story. Getting the reader's heart pounding was the whole point of it from the start, so I'm glad I achieved that, hehe… And don't worry, I definitely won't tell your boss ;) Thanks so much for your review!

 **Gamer4COD**

Literally, _bloody_ awesome? Aye? ;) thanks!

 **Guest – Reviewing Chapter 13**

Making them as fast as I can… which isn't really that fast to be fair, but I am making progress! Thanks for the compliment! :)

 **SJC-Caron**

Your quite comprehensive review put a very big smile on my face… I looked like a right idiot because I remember I was out shopping and just checked my emails on my phone and someone asked if I was ok. Twas, a little… embarrassing. Nevertheless, for you to say all that before I've even written the end of this story really means a lot… because it was exactly what I was going for when I started writing it. Thanks you so much for your review, and I hope to stay true to what you said for the rest of the story :)

 **BoneMeal – Guest – Reviewing Chapter 12**

Yea… I am a bit of a cliffhanger addict, sorry about that… but they just work so well! ... Well, I think they do, hehe ;) glad you're liking it, thanks for your reviews!

 **Guest – Reviewing Chapter 12**

When I meant backblast from the RPG, I meant the concussive blast from the propellant out of the rear of the launcher bouncing off the ground, as Nick was aiming it upwards (if that's a thing?) I didn't mean that there was actual recoil, because as you said, rocket launchers don't have any, or at least any noticeable recoil. Even so, the blast would have knocked him to the floor anyway. And an RPG-7 is only 7KG in weight, and near enough 10KG loaded, depending on the type of ammunition… though that's what I get when I look on Wikipedia, which is… _usually,_ accurate. Still that's pretty heavy anyway for a Fox to lift up, aim and fire, so as you said… quite an achievement for Nick himself. Thanks for your review, I'm glad you're liking the story… and there's still a lot of action to come ;)

* * *

 **Sounding like a broken record with all of these thank you's, but I really do mean them! And as you can all probably tell, I do tend to ramble on a bit… so don't expect me to reply to reviews again properly until the end of the story… spent several hours just writing these replies! However, if you ask a direct question I will reply, either in the author's note of the next chapter or in a PM… heck, if anyone's interested I'll even do a Q &A for this story :)**

 **Once again though I find myself saying thank you, and this time it's for everyone who has read this story, whether you have reviewed, favourited, followed or you're just along for the ride… I really do appreciate the support, the compliments and knowledge that you all like my writing… and I promise, you'll get the rest of the story soon… even if it may go a bit farfetched and OTT, but I did say that in my A/N before Chapter 1, so I should think you'll be expecting it ;)**

 **Thanks once again! AND I'm sorry once again for the misleading update today.**

 **-14sleepyhead09**

 **Or, just call me Sleepy ;)**


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: … so here we go, the beginning of the end! Or at least on its way… truth be told as I've been catching up on writing this last month, certain scenes I thought I could gloss over in a few hundred or one thousand words have taken up waaayyyy more than that… So we are nowhere as close to the end as you might think… but that's good right? :D**

 **Also… I reached 100 followers last weekend, and I have to say I'm over the moon! Usually I'm not fussed by numbers because I'm too focussed on trying to give you all a quality story, but I never thought I'd actually get to reach triple digits! So, I know I've said it a lot, and I will continue to keep saying it… but thank you all so much! I really appreciate it, and I really mean it… And I will continue to keep all you wonderful readers in suspense with this story, until it reaches its end :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: If the earlier part of the story is anything to go by on the graphic violence… from this point on it may be considered worse, but that's up to your own jurisdiction. I will change the story rating to M, if one person says it really should be, but the violence is only as graphic as your own imagination… sooo… you're move ;)**

 **Also, I feel it must be said: from this point onward the storyline does not strictly follow the plot line to _THE RAID_ … because as those of you who know, I've ran out of story to interpret. Though I am making references to _THE RAID 2_ , and other films (Hint: one of the bad guy's names is a reference to one of them). Nevertheless, I can assure you the rest of the story will be just as- if not more action packed than what you've already read.**

 **Anyway, I'm done talking… though this part of the story is where I hit that writers block, but I've read, and re-read this bit about ten times before today and I think I'm finally happy with it… so without any further ado… I give you all, after a month long wait-**

 **The next Chapter… Enjoy ;)**

* * *

Chapter 17

 ** _'The Panther's Stronghold – Part 1'_**

* * *

The gentle breeze of the early morning had been replaced by a sharp shrilling wind and the distant rumble of a bout of thunder humming across the earth… the ominous greeting of the impending storm, soon to hit the mammalian city. The sky was mostly clear, the eternal blue expanse dotted with several puffy and streaking white clouds, all still dominated by the omnipotent glowing orb of the sun…

But the view from the hallowed hillock was elevated enough to see the ill-omened grey clouds far in the distance that formed the malevolent storm front.

Instincts were flaring now, and it told every mammal in the city to seek shelter from the imminent danger.

But not all of them…

The dust cloud around the church had finally settled as the Snow Leopard and the Grey Wolf scaled the steps of the destroyed church tower, coming to a stop in what was left of the bell ringing room… only now there were no bells to ring, and the room was now exposed to the elements, the walls broken unevenly to the 360 degree view around. Half burnt timbers and broken stone work littered the floor except for where a gaping hole had been made from the earlier explosion. Despite the top of it being blasted apart into crumbled boulders, the scorch marked stone monolith was still the tallest vantage point around.

Catherine went up the steps first, and immediately went to the broken wall overlooking the non-bullet ridden part of the churchyard before the main road… with the half constructed Happytown Leisure Centre beyond that. She set up her AWM sniper rifle firmly with a bipod, and took the same steady kneeling stance as she had in the earlier shootout in the churchyard.

Wolford came up next, staggering slightly due to his knife injuries, despite them being crudely bandaged up… but that was to stop the bleeding, not the pain. He and the others had deemed it better for him to remain with Catherine as his wounds would likely hinder him in the inevitable battle and he didn't have any protective ballistic armour like the rest of them.

Plus, two sniper rifles were better than one: and Wolford had picked up his own… fully believing that the criminals he had been forced to intermingle with for the last three months didn't deserve any mercy, he had armed himself with a much deadlier AS50 .50 calibre sniper rifle compared to Catherine's .338 calibre. The Wolf set up next to the Snow Leopard, both now firmly positioned with their long range rifles, and a mostly clear view of the construction site.

They had also found a set of radios inside the armoury, one for each of them, now all linked together on the same channel to communicate effectively between them rather than shouting out through a chorus of gunshots.

And it also allowed Catherine and Wolford to direct the rest of the team;

"Overwatch up…" she spoke into the device.

" _Copy,_ " Grizzoli responded, " _How's it lookin out there?_ "

"Weather's taking turn for the worse, but no sign of any hostiles yet… You're clear…"

* * *

"Alright," Grizzoli said, now turning to the rest of the team; "Let's move."

One by one, they exited the old church doors.

Fang moved out first, aiming his rifle firmly level in front of him. He had chosen a compact short barrel version of a HK416 carbine to arm himself, with several spare magazines. The fully automatic AA-12 shotgun he had insisted on keeping, despite its weight and the fact it was actually quite large for him, was holstered over his back, with a 20 shell drum magazine already loaded, and several 8 shell box magazines in reserve on his gear, as well as a single flashbang and frag grenade.

Nick followed close behind him, still armed with his trusty G17 in his hip holster, now with a full stock of ammunition, and had also replaced his lost and out of ammo submachineguns with a Vector GEN II, the compact weapon fitting his smaller stature almost perfectly.

Grizzoli came out next, matching the Wolf and the Fox's advance forward. He had armed himself with a long barrelled M27 IAR, loaded with a 100 round beta C mag, effectively turning his assault rifle into a light machinegun, and with 30 round magazines in reserve.

Delgato, as the designated marksmammal stayed behind them at a reasonable distance. He had replaced his M14 with a much newer M110 SASS, with an 8x scope for long range and a canted red dot sight for close range.

And Mchorn brought up the rear, looking even more like a walking tank than he had at the beginning of the day… armed with his M134 minigun, now with an attachable ballistic/blast shield, and the ammo feed belt linked to the huge capacity ammo pack placed on his back… with several thousand 7.62mm bullets inside it.

They continued forward, guns raised and senses attuned for anything. They stuck to the edges of the overgrown path, all the way until they reached the lych-gate, except for Mchorn, who trundled along in the centre of the path unafraid and unopposed… and anyone who would dare oppose the Rhino wouldn't be alive for very much longer.

The lych-gate to the churchyard was actually in good condition despite the state of the other surrounding buildings. As soon as they reached it, the SWAT Team held position, staying clear of the open gap on either side of the old wooden gable A frame.

"Is the road clear?" Grizzoli spoke into his radio.

" _We can't see along the road, tree canopy is blocking our view,_ " Catherine answered, " _You'll have to check it yourselves,_ "

"Copy,"

The Lion turned away from his radio, and made the correct paw signal to the two canines of the group.

Nodding in response, Nick and Fang moved into the lych-gate, staying low and hugging the walls, the Fox on the left side, the Wolf on the right. After Fang gave a three second countdown with his paw, he and Nick simultaneously peeked around the corner, gazing up and down the street;

"Clear."

"Clear."

Grizzoli and Delgato filed behind them, Mchorn still bringing up the rear.

"On me… to the site entrance," the Lion ordered.

Grizzoli lead the way across the open stretch of the potholed roadway, the others following behind him, still with their weapons raised.

It was the first proper glimpse they had seen of the Panther's stronghold… and at first glance it didn't seem all that too intimidating as they were led to believe. It would have been a profitable compliment to the Happytown district and immensely improved the areas image… had it been completed, but the quarantine saw an abrupt end to that.

The half completed building was large enough for the entire site to take the space of several blocks, and the building itself was five storeys tall, although part of the roof on the opposite side had been left incomplete. It was designed in an 'L' shape: two perpendicular wings formed the shape of the structure, the inner side overlooking the construction yard where all the unused building materials had been abandoned. Rusted steel scaffolding and tarpaulin covered much of the opposite structure, while the perpendicular section of the building was mostly completed, with the external concrete walls completed and windows installed… however weathered they were.

Like much of the abandoned district, nature had reclaimed the area; grass and weeds had grown amongst the construction yard and up the sides of the building, with the exception of the open patch of dirt where, by the looked of the tire tracks, had seen some previous vehicular traffic.

It took a mere few seconds for the SWAT team to cross the four lane road, sneak over the pavement and stack up along the erected barriers of the construction site next to the entrance. They were about to follow through into the large open steel gating when suddenly;

" _Hold at the entrance._ "

Catherine's voice blurted down Grizzoli's radio.

"What do you see?" he responded.

" _Multiple shooters, taking positions on the roof and scaffolding,_ "

" _Several more in the yard…_ " Wolford added, "… _all quite well armed,_ "

"Something tells me their expecting us," Delgato commented, having peeked through a small eye-sized gap in the fencing.

"To be fair…" Fang added, "… they've been expecting us all morning-"

He cut his sentence abruptly when Grizzoli pushed a finger to his lips, telling them all to hush. The Lion then spoke back into his radio;

"How many are there?"

" _In short: too many…_ " Catherine answered, " _… and the entrance is too exposed, let us thin them out first_ … _we'll tell you when to move, and keep you covered from here,_ "

" _Best cover is the right side of the yard,_ _among the building materials,"_ Wolford added.

"Copy," Grizzoli responded, now turning to the rest of the team; "We're moving right… Nick, Fang, with me, same as before: move through the build yard and clear any hostiles… Rick, Seb… light that building up with everything you got… set?"

"Let's do this…" Mchorn answered, as Nick, Fang and Delgato gave a resolute nod.

Grizzoli spoke back into his radio;

"You two ready back there?"

" _Trigger finger's burning_ ," Wolford answered fervently.

There was an impish chuckle from the other sniper, until Catherine answered herself;

" _Call it Leonard…_ "

…

* * *

" _Weapons free._ "

…

A singular moment of quiet passed as the Grey Wolf and the Snow Leopard lined the crosshairs of their sniper scopes on the armed criminals in the distance. The shot was roughly 300 metres… longer than the previous engagement but still an easy range for a sniper rifle, and as bonus, both of them could see there were no opposing snipers…

This, would be walkover.

The resulting crack of pulling the trigger sent a pointed supersonic chunk of lead from the barrel of Catherine's L115A3, followed by the louder and lower pitched echoing boom of Wolford's AS50, both of them tallying up the first kills of the siege with a distant splash of red mist, and forcing the other shooters to hide behind the first solid thing they came across.

"Suspect down-"

"Bloody hell Mike…" Catherine suddenly commented, "… more like: suspect lost his fu*king head,"

"Like a burst watermelon _,_ " Wolford sniggered.

Catherine chuckled, "Good… I hate watermelons…"

* * *

The far off gunshots from the two sniper rifles continued for several more echoing blasts as Catherine and Wolford tallied up the kills. Soon they were forced to hold fire to reload, both of them having used all of their 5 round magazines. Between them, they had counted eight kills confirmed, as Wolford had missed two of his shots… Catherine's were all hits.

The silence didn't stay for very long as it was just a couple of seconds until the two snipers were both ready to fire again;

" _Our shots have got them hiding…_ " Wolford's voice came through Grizzoli's radio, "… _But there's still a few in the construction yard we can't get,_ "

"We'll handle them…" Grizzoli responded "… we clear to move in?"

" _Not yet,_ " Catherine spoke, "… _Still just wanna get this onnneeee… last-_ "

One more echoing crack followed as the Snow Leopard dropped another shooter, and her voice immediately came back through the radio;

" _Clear, go now!_ "

"Rog'…" Grizzoli responded, and then raised his voice to the rest of the squad;

"LET'S MOVE!"

The Lion went first, raising his M27 in front of him and readying to pull the trigger. Nick and Fang went next, doing the same with their own weapons, Delgato followed, with Mchorn in tow, lumbering along as quickly as he could with his heavy gun and ammunition. Each of them in turn passed through the huge open gap of the site entrance, and hightailing it towards all the unused building materials and abandoned construction vehicles to the right side of the yard, barely a thirty metre sprint.

The echoes of friendly sniper fire still pierced the distance as they each ran to cover to join the battle-

And their attendance had not gone unnoticed…

They ducked down and ran faster when bullets began streaming past them as gunfire was now sent their way from any of the enemy shooters that dared to peek from their cover while hiding from the sniper fire, taking the opportunity to hit the SWAT Team while they were vulnerable.

Although any that tried met with a sudden and brutal end as the police snipers covered their own, by placing a bullet in any of the daring criminals trying to shoot their comrades.

The rapid sprint through the uneven dirt of the construction yard was over in seconds. The Lion, the Fox and the Wolf ran straight through the assorted building materials to clear their area of hostiles, as was the plan…

* * *

Grizzoli reached the assorted yard of materials first, including such items as concrete panels, strips of rebar, steel I beams, bricks, blocks, timber, and more. He still aimed his rifle right in front of him, and gunned down two armed criminals as he turned a corner before they even noticed he was there with a hard pull of his trigger.

He was promptly forced to take cover as a dingo fired his G36 wildly in the Lion's direction in a false hoped move to scare away the cop.

As Grizzoli became pinned, Fang had moved to outflank the other canine. He ran up the opposite side of the pile of rusted steel I beams, and turned the corner… immediately coming face to face with the dingo, who staggered backwards in shock at the SWAT officer's sudden appearance.

The opposing canid attempted to raise his rifle, but Fang quickly stopped that as he lifted his left leg to kick it away, following with a swift swing of his rifle's butt to the underside of the dingo's muzzle, subsequently making the canine fall down and smack his head on a stack of concrete panels and fall to the floor where he remained there unconscious…

And while Fang knocked the other canine out he was completely unaware that another gun was being aimed at him; he only turned around just in time to see the other armed criminal: an ocelot, take five rounds to the chest and neck with a splatter of crimson, and drop to the ground.

"You need to watch your back better buddy," Nick teased, as they both ducked down behind the stack of concrete panels for cover when a flurry of bullets was sent their way.

"Don't need to when you got friends," Fang teased right back, playfully tapping the Fox on his upper arm.

They both peered over their new cover for a moment, dropping back down when the machinegun fire sent their way quickly returned-

Until a far off boom called, and it abruptly stopped.

"Holy crap," Nick muttered, when he saw the fate of the bear that had just been shooting at them.

" _You're welcome,_ " Wolford's voice spoke down their radio.

"Mike, you blew his fu*king arm off," Fang commented.

" _He ain't gonna need it anymore…_ " he mocked.

"He's got a point guys," Grizzoli inputted as he moved up to join them in their cover before peering up over the concrete panels to fire his weapon, "Keep moving!"

And they did… continuing to weave through the construction yard, cover to cover while the copper jacketed lead continued to fly.

* * *

As Nick, Fang and Grizzoli had made their progress in clearing the rest of the build yard, Delgato had taken to the first piece of good cover to aim is M110 rifle at any shooter that caught his eye…

There were plenty to choose from, still amongst the scaffolding and unfilled windows of the building. He lined the crosshairs of his low-zoom scope, pulling the trigger promptly… until he moved to the next target, and fired again. He took extra special care to make sure his target was down before moving to the next, and occasionally dropped below his cover of a huge stack of solid concrete blocks when any gunfire was sent his direction.

Mchorn didn't even need to worry about getting shot… in fact, several bullets had already ricocheted off the ballistic shield mounted on his minigun, and his heavy armour had stopped another two. It was kind of difficult being such a large mammal to find good cover anyway, so being heavily armoured and having the ability to take the weight of it was a good thing… and of course, his size also meant he was heavily armed…

After finding a spot amongst the cover he could unleash the monstrous weapon he held on a decent number of the enemy combatants, Mchorn pressed down on the top circular button of the trigger handle, initiating the electric motor that began to spin the six rotating barrels of his death machine with a quiet whirring sound-

It took barely a second before it was spinning at 2000 RPM.

And then, he pulled the trigger-

The minigun roared with a huge cone shaped burst of flames and ejecting sparks from the barrels as it fired and unleashed a torrent of thirty-four 7.62mm bullets every second the Rhino held the trigger down. Tracer rounds in the belt occasionally ignited the stream of ballistics with a sharp and deadly stream of bright orange light, directed towards the enemy shooters.

He fired in one or two burst to test his aim before he decided to just hold the trigger down, and spray his ammunition downrange… he had plenty to use after all, and as the bullets flew from the weapon barrels, a mountain of bullet casings began forming beside him after bouncing on the ground with a metallic jingle.

The Tiger and the Rhino worked in tandem: as Mchorn burst fired the minigun at the enemy's cover, the shear amount of bullets tore through whatever the armed criminals were hiding behind, tearing them to bloody shreds if they didn't move… but even if they survived the onslaught from the death machine, it still forced them to displace to somewhere better to shoot back… and as they ran for new cover, Delgato put them down for good.

* * *

Barely a minute had gone by since the ballistic symphony of the final shootout began, and each of the SWAT officers were holding their own.

Nick was high on adrenaline right now… heart pounding- not in fear, but in determination... because this was it, after this shootout and another bout of kill or be killed decisions and close calls, it would be all over.

Like the others had done from the start of the day, Nick didn't hesitate using his weapon… After the bloody act of tearing another mammal's throat out earlier (of which the blood was still stained into his fur), pulling a trigger had become somewhat… easy.

That became very clear as he turned past another corner, his SMG aimed in front of him; Nick swiftly gunned down a racoon and a fellow red fox without a second thought, followed by Fang taking down the larger leopard that was accompanying them.

…

It seemed everything was going to plan, they had thinned out plenty of the armed criminals and progress was being made-

When all of a sudden the adjacent side of the 'L' shaped building erupted in deafening flashes as an uncountable number of machineguns rained down from the 3rd floor windows… splattering bullets in the SWAT Team's direction.

Each of them were forced to duck low from the unexpected, unrelenting and fierce rain of metallic spitzers, with a few close calls as Nick felt a bullet pass so close to his ear it tickled his fur, and Grizzoli nearly said goodbye to the end of his tail.

It didn't even stop… there were enough guns up there that at least three were consistently firing while the others reloaded, not giving the SWAT Team any clear moment to return fire.

"FU*K SAKE!" Fang cursed loudly, barely audible over the thunderous encore of automatic gunfire.

"Guys we're pinned!" Grizzoli hollered into the radio, "… anything you can do?-"

"W _e got no line of sight! -Sh*t!_ " Catherine answered, cursing at herself.

" _Gonna be nothing but guess work, we'll be shooting through walls…_ " Wolford added.

"Do it anyway!"

They did their best… even if Catherine and Wolford's sniper rifles could penetrate through the concrete walls of the more completed wing of the building, they were shooting at the wrong angle as that part of the building was parallel to their position in the church tower, and there was no time to displace for a better one. Despite their efforts, which did cause a couple of the machineguns to cease fire from a dead operator… the criminals did not relent… and more had now appeared in the yard from the ground floor… also firing bullets in the SWAT Team's direction.

"We're gonna have to change our plan of attack!" Nick piped up, shouting to Grizzoli.

"What you thinking?"

Nick paused for a moment as he thought;

"We split up… Me and Fang can enter the building and clear it while you guys keep them occupied outside… he's got the shotgun-"

"And I'm just raring to use this thing!" the Wolf inputted.

"It's too risky Nick," Grizzoli claimed.

"No one said this was gonna be easy…" Nick countered "… hasn't been easy all damn day!"

Grizzoli spoke back into the radio;

"Catherine, is there a breach point?"

"F _ire escape door… left side of the yard, back near the site entrance. Area is way to open, only cover is a couple of shipping containers,_ "

"It'll have to do,"

Fang daringly peered from his cover to see the shipping containers the opposite side of the yard;

"We can make it," he called to the Lion, "Just need cover fire!"

"I got that droves!" Mchorn interjected.

"If either of you run into trouble, holler on your radio," Grizzoli ordered.

"I'll holler till you all go deaf!" Fang teased.

"Please don't… I've only got one ear left remember!" Delgato joked.

" _We can keep you covered on your approach, and while you're inside from the windows_ ," Catherine added.

"Copy," Fang answered, then looked to Nick, "You sure about this?"

"Not really," he answered sternly "… but do we have any other option?"

"Improvising again huh?"

"You got my back, I got yours…"

They both nodded to each other firmly, and moved through the relative safety of the cover of the abandoned construction materials till they were in position.

"Ready!" Fang called to Grizzoli.

Who nodded in response;

"Rick! Seb!" the Lion called to the two of them, "… Covering fire! Give that minigun every RPM it's got!"

"Got it!" Mchorn shouted back, pressing back down on the spooling button of his minigun, once again spinning the six barrels to speed-

And in the quickest any of them had seen Mchorn move, he lifted the weapon up until it was pointed towards the flashes of gunfire on the fourth floor, and pulled the trigger hard to unleash the death machine… and held it down.

Grizzoli too had peered from his cover to fire what was left in the beta c mag of his M27, as had Delgato to fire his M110 at any figure he could see in the windows, tapping the trigger as fast as his paws would let him.

Several seconds of suppressing fire was all that was needed- the barrels on Mchorn's minigun had begun to glow red as Nick and Fang waited patiently for their cue when Grizzoli gave the signal and yelled to them;

"GO!"

The Fox and the Wolf ran out into the open staying as low as possible, sprinting to the opposite side of the construction site as the deafening torrent of gunfire emanated around them. Several bullets from other shooters still on the scaffolding began to impact the ground by their feet, kicking up dirt into their path, promptly stopped as their sniper support put them down.

Even compared to the rest, it was the most death defying ordeal both Nick and Fang had experienced that day… and easily in their whole lives… even with their cover fire and sniper support, bullets flew past them at mere inches… the only thing keeping them alive right now was luck-

The one thing that had kept them alive all day.

Even as Nick tripped over a mound of dirt kicked up by the ground impacts, Fang grabbed him to keep him on his feet.

The barely fifty metre sprint felt like a hundred miles, but they reached the shipping container, practically diving for the heavenly safety of the massive steel box… and giving them a chance to breathe again from their dash through the ballistic chaos, somehow coming out completely unscathed…

Fang moved first to the far end of the shipping container, clearly seeing the double steel doors that led to the inside fire escape-

But as he peeked round the corner to see if it was clear;

"Sh*it!" he cursed when several sparks erupted from the metal as another armed criminal halted their progress.

He attempted to peek again to shoot back, but the bullets still came…

Until a far off crack echoed and they promptly stopped-

" _You're clear,_ " Catherine's voice came through Fang's radio.

They darted out again… this time, with much less bullets coming their direction… somehow making this cross blissful compared to the last… neither of them would complain about running anywhere again as long as they didn't have to do it through a wall of gunfire.

The Fox and the Wolf eventually reached the double steel doors of the fire escape;

"Nrahh…" Fang spat, annoyed, before dropping his HK416 to the floor.

"Don't tell me you're out already?" Nick chided.

"Don't worry," the Wolf answered as he un-holstered the AA-12 on his back, "… this is all I'm gonna need in here…"

" _Progress guys!?_ " Grizzoli's voice came down their radio.

Nick answered; "Breachin-"

But before he even finished his sentence Fang had blasted the centre lock of the door to pieces with several shots of the automatic shotgun.

"Moving in now," Nick changed his answer.

" _Rog', good luck in there… we'll keep them shooting at us,"_

Nick and Fang both charged in, weapons raised, coming to the concrete stairs that formed the internal fire escape, and proceeded to climb. They paused at every landing to check the coast was clear before proceeding to the next, all the way till they reached the third floor-

" _Hold up,_ " Catherine's voice blurted out, " _There's a couple marking the door… stand clear,_ "

The stairwell was almost completely soundproof, enough so that the chorus of gunfire outside was quite muffled, so Nick and Fang had to take her word for it, which they did. Several seconds of near silence went by until a hole was blasted through the fire door, causing it to swing slowly open on its hinges.

" _Open sesame…_ " the Snow Leopard jested down the radio.

"Could'a done that myself you know," Fang bantered.

" _It's polite to open doors for others,_ " Catherine countered with a subtle snigger.

"See…" Nick mouthed with a sly smile to the Wolf, "… so obvious,"

Fang rolled his eyes at him, "Come on, let's fu*k up some bad guys…"

The Fox and the Wolf filed into the corridor that led to the fire escape, having to step through the small (but expanding) puddle of blood left by the serval and coyote that Catherine had shot dead.

" _Take the door to your right, that way I can still see you,_ "

"Copy,"

Hugging the wall, they crossed the threshold of the right side door into an unfurnished room, a mould stained window out the right side wall looked outside, where Nick and Fang could see the two friendly scope glares atop the blasted church tower. The two armed cops moved up to another door leading to another room, the slab of timber been left ajar-

" _Two in the next room- Sh*t they moved… can't see-_ "

" _I got 'em,_ " Wolford injected.

A far off boom called, another rapidly following- and the Wolf's .50 calibre shells violently blasted through the buildings concrete walls to strike the two criminals… Through the gap in the ajar door, Nick and Fang almost cringed upon seeing the huge red splatter and chunks of fur coated flesh that now painted inner wall-

" _They're down,_ "

"Nice shot…" Fang complimented, "… We're moving in,"

The Fox and the Wolf slowly opened the door, Nick staying low and aiming his Vector, and Fang aiming high with his AA-12. Apart from the two dead mammals in the room, and the few chunks of concrete blasted away by Wolford's bullets, the room was clear…

Till a lynx came rushing through the door to the next room with a firm grip on the trigger of the Saiga-12 shotgun in his paws-

A very big mistake, as, all simultaneously, the armed criminal took one of Fang's 12 gauge shells to the chest, a short spray of Nick's 9mm missiles which struck the feline's chest and neck… and one of Catherine's .338 magnums to the side of his head… subsequently coming out the other side... the effects of each impact adding to the quite already bloody showcase as the lynx dropped dead.

"… That lynx just had a _really_ bad day…" Nick mouthed.

" _He should've stayed in bed,_ " Catherine commented down the radio.

"Or just shot himself… would've saved us the trouble…" Fang joked.

They walked on past the feline's mangled corpse to stand either side of the door the lynx had just came from when their sniper team contacted them one last time;

" _Next door is gonna take you further into the building, we can't see beyond there…"_ Wolford announced.

Catherine added; _"You're on your own now guys-_ "

* * *

"-John, watch your back for once, and Nick… try not to blow anything up," the Snow Leopard half-joked.

" _No promises,_ " Nick joked back.

" _Thanks for the help Catherine… We'll do our best…_ " Fang replied light-heartedly.

"Seriously guys…" Catherine spoke honestly, "… Be careful in there,"

The Snow Leopard glanced to the wolf beside her, and Wolford proceeded to speak into his radio;

"Leonard, hold fire on the building… they're in,"

" _Roger that…_ " the Lion replied, " _And tell them to hurry the fu*k up!_ "

…


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm not gonna talk for long here, I'm all bunged up with nasty cold I can barely function so I apologise for the lateness of today's upload, but I'm still gonna make sure you wonderful readers get this week's chapter.**

 **To Teera: Don't worry, that wasn't the last chapter… this fic is nowhere near the end yet ;) thanks for your review!**

 **And thank you to all of you for the continued support! :)**

* * *

Chapter 18

 ** _'The Panther's Stronghold – Part 2'_**

* * *

Inside the half completed structure, Nick and Fang continued on from room to room, room to corridor- doorway to doorway.

Completely unaware that since they entered the building, their progress through the structure was being followed by a Fox and a Vixen…

Yet the two cops remained oblivious, they were far too concentrated on moving forward through the building than checking rooms they had already been in… and it didn't take long before they had to exchange gunfire again…

They had just moved to another set of doors down a corridor, Fang on the left, Nick on the right, and currently being held back by a caracal armed with a PP-19 the large capacity magazine keeping the two cops from moving forward-

"I'll draw his fire…" Fang mouthed to Nick, "You take him,"

The Wolf made a small peek from the edge of the doorway, acquiring the attention of the opposing mammal, clearly indicated by the chain of bullets fired at him.

Fang only just turned back in time before one of those bullets had his name on it…

And before the shooter even saw it coming, Nick poked his SMG from around the opposite side of the door, and fired-

"He's down," Nick announced.

"Nice…" Fang complimented after he looked round the door frame.

Nick had already begun moving down the corridor; "Let's move…"

…

The place seemed to be bigger on the inside, with corridors and rooms at every right-angle, it was almost like a maze, but it wasn't at all difficult to navigate… the room where the machine-gunners were raining down upon their friends outside was clearly indicated by the amount of thunderous gunfire that was coming from behind the walls.

"Doorway," Nick called, looking towards a door left closely ajar.

Fang responded with a nod; "Stack up…"

Both of them moved to either side of the doorframe, where Fang spoke into his radio;

"… We're right behind them…"

" _Whenever you like guys!_ " Grizzoli responded.

" _It's not like we're getting shot at down here!_ " Delgato added.

Fang lowered his weapon a moment, going to grab the single flashbang grenade on his gear, and advertising it to his vulpine comrade.

Nick nodded with a sly smile.

Fang pulled the pin, but held the safety lever firm… and then comically used the grenade to knock loudly on the door before tossing the cylindrical tube through the ajar gap, and looked away-

From behind the door, they heard:

"Da fu?-"

Until the deafening bang of the flash grenade went off, followed instantly by the sound of grunts and snarls of several blinded and deafened mammals.

Fang kicked the door open with a swift raise of his right leg, aiming his AA-12 at the first staggering mammal he saw and fired across the room in full auto, launching supersonic pellets in precise directions to strike down the ten plus criminals inside… And Nick followed through, firing his SMG to target any that Fang had missed… of which there was only a couple…

And in a few mere seconds, the only two alive mammals left in the room were the Fox and the Wolf in tactical SWAT gear.

"Room clear!" Nick yelled.

"Oh yea… I like this gun…" Fang smiled feverishly, as he reached for his radio, "… the gunners are down… it's just us in here…"

" _Nice work guys… made it a hell of a lot easier down here…_ " Grizzoli responded, " _Good call Nick,_ "

"Thanks,"

" _We'll finish up out here, you two continue inside,_ " Grizzoli said, " _stay on the comms…_ "

"Copy," Fang replied, "We'll keep goin room to room and meet you on the groun-"

He cut his sentence short as a quiet chink sounded in the room when a small device came in through the door they themselves had just burst in from… alerting the Fox and the Wolf; they ducked low thinking it was a grenade or something…

Though when no blast came, Nick and Fang looked at the object: a crude device made out of an aluminium drinks can with a 9volt battery and several wires taped to the side, wired up to a speaker and a radio receiver. Nick and Fang looked at it in confusion, it was likely some kind of improvised explosive device…

In actuality, it was something that was arguably much worse, which became very clear a second later, when the device emitted a high pitched ultrasonic monotone-

* * *

As Roan had ordered them, the Fox and the Vixen- Max and Maisie, had proceeded to get the garrison ready for an assault despite thinking it was all for nothing and all the cops had given up. They were pleasantly surprised when the cops attack began with the sound of sniper fire… now the two of them had the chance to get their own paws dirty.

And that chance came when their law enforcement adversaries had broken into the building… and whether it was luck or happenstance, one of them being the Red Fox that Roan wanted alive. Ever since the infiltration, Max and Maisie had been following the White Wolf and Red Fox cop through the structure, steadily at a safe distance, waiting for a moment to strike… yet no good chance had revealed itself… until the cops cleared the room of machine gunners, and let their guard down…

The Fox and the Vixen positioned themselves by the same door the two cops had just breached through. Max and Maisie nodded to each other cunningly as they placed a set of noise cancelling ears plugs in their ears, Maisie grabbed her baseball bat firmly by the handle, and Max prepared their secret weapon;

An ultrasonic sound suppression device.

They had built the device themselves from improvised parts, considering that ultrasonic suppression devices were made illegal in Zootopia… and even in the criminal underworld, they were considered highly immoral… especially one devised to cause intense auditory pain.

Nevertheless, Max turned on the device and tossed it into the room… waiting at least three seconds before he activated the tone from the transmitter she held in his paw… and holding a steel caged muzzle in the other…

* * *

As the ultrasonic tone filled the room, Nick and Fang dropped their weapons and clamped their paws to their ears while screaming in pain… the sound pulsing agonisingly through their auditory nerve. It put them both off balance, falling to their knees.

Desperate to cease the malevolent tone, Fang attempted to reach forward to grab it, whether to break it or throw it away- he didn't care… anything just to stop the noise.

He was promptly stopped when a baseball bat struck hard to the underside of his jaw, knocking him backwards and rolling onto his back, the bat swiftly striking him again and again, every hit seemingly harder than the other…

* * *

Nick had his eyes shut from the shock of the agonising monotone, and still had his paws clamped on his ears with them pulled flat against his head in vain to stop hearing the relentless whine.

Even so, he eventually forced his eyes open and looked up to see a Fox, clearly a vixen as her form much sleeker and slender; she was wielding a baseball bat, and bringing it downwards, repeatedly assaulting his Wolf companion…

Despite the inflicting audible pain, Nick attempted to move and help- but a single blink to repress the searing discomfort, and suddenly another Fox appeared in front of him-

He barely got a glance before he shut his eyes again from the sudden impact as he was struck in the chest, followed by the feeling of something cold and metallic clamp around his snout…

Nick actually panicked in the moment… he knew that feeling all too well from a vivid and cruel memory scorched into the depths of his mind-

He finally fought against the pain… and with that new strength, and a savage growl, Nick leaned forward and raised his arms up to yank the rear strap of the muzzle, stripping it from his head with such speed and such force it pulled the head strap apart and pulled the Fox who had entrapped him head over heels to hit the hard concrete floor on his back.

The other Fox was undoubtedly angered by Nick's sudden super strength, as when he landed on his back, Nick could see he was snarling… and didn't see the black furred fist directed to his jaw as the other Fox punched him away…

* * *

Fang still lay on the floor defenceless, still reeling from both the audible and physical pain- until when the bat hit him the fifth time he managed to grab the improvised club, and push away the assailant Vixen, only to now feel a foot paw collide with his muzzle, halting him from continuing his counterattack against the opposing Fox…

In the commotion, Fang dived for his weapon, clamping hard on the trigger handle, and aiming at the drinks can that made up the improvised ultrasonic device-

* * *

Still with the ultrasonic tone deafening him and paining his hearing, Nick dived for his gun and clasped the trigger handle, pointing the barrel carelessly at the drinks can that made up the improvised ultrasonic device-

* * *

Nick and Fang both pulled their respective triggers; they only saw the muzzle flash- they didn't hear a single one of the propellant explosives from their weapons, even while both of them emptied what was left of their magazines at the device… ripping the aluminium can to shreds.

The audible pain instantly dissipated now that the device was destroyed, but Nick and Fang couldn't come straight to their senses… they could still only hear the high pitched whine in their ears…

And their eyesight revealed that their vulpine assailants had disappeared-

* * *

As their attempt at apprehending the two cops had failed… Max and Maisie had legged it out of the room, especially when the two SWAT officers had re-found their weapons and destroyed their ultrasonic device.

Even though they were only after the Fox, bringing Roan the Wolf would be a pleasant addition… another cop for an example to be made of. But it was no matter if that attack had failed, it was meant to be shock tactic… and they were pretty sure it had worked too: to rile the two cops up, make them angry, force them to make mistakes… and make them easier to deal with.

Even so, on the way out of the room, Max had flicked the switch on the portable short range radio jammer he had on his belt to be sure the two cops were now imprisoned with no contact to the rest of their squad inside their deadly three-dimensional maze...

* * *

Nick's hearing was still estranged to him as he couldn't hear himself still growling from the opposing Fox's attempt to muzzle him. Having to relive that awful memory physically was bad enough without experiencing it along with their own super sensitive hearing turned against him… there was a reason ultrasonic suppression devices had been outlawed in Zootopia.

Even so, Nick was still angrier about the muzzle… He reached back to find the degrading object barely a couple of feet away, and threw it as far away as he could in the room.

He still scowled as he thought to himself…

Who the fu*k did those Foxes think they were? Trying to muzzle _him_ …

If he saw them again- and Nick was sure he would do… he wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

Finally… as he twitched his ears, some of his hearing managed to return. He turned to Fang next to him, who was sitting on the floor rubbing his paining head;

"You alright!?" Nick didn't realise he was shouting.

It wasn't enough either, as Fang didn't realise he was shouting back even louder with a;

"WHAT!?"

"Are you alright!?"

"WHAT!?"

"ARE. YOU. ALRIGHT!?"

"I CAN'T!- ... urraagghh… Fu*k! …" Fang growled as he rolled his head and rubbed his ears; "Fu*king foxes…" he looked at Nick with a genuine apologetic expression, "… no offence…"

"None taken-"

As their hearing began to retune, they could now hear the concerned voices emitting from their radios;

" _Guys! Come in!_ " Grizzoli's voice called.

" _John, Nick… Do you copy!?_ " Catherine's voice called.

"We're here…" Nick responded, grabbing his radio firm and moving to watch the doorway for any other surprise attacks.

" _Are you alright!?_ " Catherine asked worriedly.

"Yea," Fang spoke now, "… I think… we just got jumped by two foxes… had some kind of improvised ultrasonic device… We managed to fend them off, but they got away… be careful if they have another of those things, it fu*kin kills your ears…"

" _You two still good to fight?_ " Grizzoli asked, " _There's still a few shooters out here to take out before we can join you inside-_ "

" _But they appear to be fal- …ng bac-_ " Catherine added, a short burst of static interrupting her sentence.

Fang looked at Nick for some indication… but Nick's expression couldn't be mistaken for anything other than determination as he nodded firmly.

"Yea… we're still good…" The Wolf responded, "… we're gonna keep moving through here-"

" _Sa- again…_ " Catherine interrupted, _"… yo- … bre…-king up…_ "

"I said we're gonna keep moving through the building-"

" _Joh- … Ni-… d- …-py…?_ "

"Catherine, you're breaking up… say again…" Fang tried, "Catherine?" -

* * *

Back at the snipers perch on the blasted church tower…

" _Yea… w- s…ill- …ood…_ " Fang's broken voice came through Catherine's radio, "… _we're g- … mov- … rou- … here,_ "

Catherine spoke with worry; "Say again… you're breaking up…"

" _I sa- … … nna- … ep m- ... throu- … buil- …_ "

And the signal went to complete static.

"John, Nick, do you copy?"

…

Static

…

"John? Nick?"

…

More static.

…

"Guys, come in!"

"What's wrong?" Wolford turned from his sniper scope to ask concernedly.

"Just lost signal… all I'm getting is static," the Snow Leopard replied anxiously… she turned back to her radio; "… Leonard-"

" _I got nothing either…"_ Grizzoli answered instantly, his voice not broken by any static, " _I'm not risking it… we're pushing forward now, but keep trying on their comms._ "

…

* * *

"Catherine?"

…

Static

…

"Catherine!?"

…

"Leonard!"

…

Static

…

"What happened?" Nick asked.

"Radio's gone dead…" Fang explained, placing it back on his gear and holding his shotgun with both paws now, "… Must be a jammer somewhere,"

"Should we stay here?" Nick suggested, "This isn't a bad room to defend… and the others are only outside,"

"No, the bad guys know we're in here… and we got nowhere to go if they come back for us…"

Nick looked away as he peered into the corridor;

"It's clear… if we're gonna move we should do it now…"

"Right…" Fang replied, raising his shotgun, "the sooner we find this fu*kin Panther and arrest him the better… and I'm gonna blast the sh*t out of those two Foxes if I see 'em,"

"Get in line," Nick grumbled.

"Well… someone's getting feisty-"

"They tried to muzzle me Fang…" Nick looked at him bitterly, and growled; "I _don't_ like muzzles…"

Fang was taken aback at Nick's sudden aggressive outburst… though to be fair, Fang didn't like muzzles either, nor did any mammal really. But it was clear from Nick's manner that the assault had riled him up greatly- he had a firm and steady digit ready on the trigger of his SMG, ready to pull it instantly as they left the room.

* * *

The Red Fox and the White Wolf continued through the abandoned, half constructed building, checking every room and every corner, firmly holding their weapons up in case of any ambushes.

Nick and Fang worked as a team. One of them held position and covered the other as they moved through the rooms and down the hallways when suddenly-

Nick caught a glimpse of the two Foxes that had assaulted them;

"HEY!"

He raised his submachinegun and sprayed down the hall.

His shots missed, striking the partition behind as the Vixen bolted, but the other Fox returned fire with his own P90 submachine gun, the shots pushing Nick back into cover until Fang fired a couple of shells from his shotgun down the same hallway… forcing the armed criminal to run away-

"Son of a-" Nick growled as he attempted to rush after him.

"Nick, WAIT!" Fang yelled at him.

He rushed up behind the Fox, resulting to diving forward and harshly grabbing hold of Nick's tail to pull him back. Nick fell face first as he was pulled from the base of his spine, both of them landing hard against the concrete floor. A moment after, Nick turned over and snarled back at the Wolf;

"The hell was that for!?-"

Fang just made a small forwards nod, telling Nick to look forward:

He did indeed turn his head back to face in front of him-

Barely an inch from the tip of his nose was a thin, almost invisible floating line:

"Tripwire…" Fang stated, "Probably hooked up to an explosive somewhere,"

"You saw that?" Nick asked, with a very obvious change in his previously aggressive tone of voice.

"Surprised you didn't…"

"… Thanks…"

Nick backed away from the tripwire not taking his eyes off it, slowly crawling backwards on the floor, as Fang returned slowly to his feet. Nick eventually felt comfortably far enough away from the tripwire he decided to stand up, and Fang broke the short silence;

"What's that you said about me watching my own back before? … At least I can watch my own front," he joked.

"Yea, but that's what the Kevlar is for-" Nick countered.

"Isn't gonna do sh*t against whatever this is…" Fang added, leaning down to inspect the floating wire.

It was barely a couple of whiskers width thick, and went into the plasterboard partition of both the adjacent rooms… it was definitely improvised, and could very well be dangerous, and having suffered one of the criminal vulpine duo's crude improvised devices already, Fang didn't want to test another, even if it was likely it could be dud.

"Can you disarm it?" Nick asked.

"I'm not even gonna try… I never passed my EOD training anyway," Fang answered unsurely, "We'll have to find another way around, because I'm not risking walking into any more of these traps," he looked back at his Fox companion, "Just… watch your step this time,"

"Yea… sure," Nick responded uneasily…

* * *

Another long couple of minutes went by as Nick and Fang continued through the structure, while the muffled sound of gunfire still came in from the outside shootout. Repeatedly Fang had tried contacting the rest of their squad again, but to no avail: only static filled the airwaves with the local radio jammer still active. So they both continued onward, advancing cautiously and checking every corner before moving on.

They had now cleared most of the third floor of their side of the building, considering both wings of the structure were separated by the atrium at the centre of the 'L' shape. They had found another set of stairs behind a fire escape door, and decided to proceed downwards.

The second floor was just another maze of semi completed corridors and half furnished rooms… and there was still not a soul to be seen, smelt or heard by the two canine cops-

"I don't like this…" Fang whispered, "It's too quiet in here…"

"Everyone's probably outside in the firefight…" Nick theorised, "Or they could be regrouping somewhere else… didn't Catherine say they were falling back before we lost comms?"

"Yea… I think," Fang answered, "But if they are regrouping then where the fu*k are they?"

Nick didn't respond, he simply kept checking up and down the current corridor they were in… until he came to a corner, and slowly peered around it, leading with the muzzle of his gun first-

"Door here," Nick observed, looking back at Fang.

The Wolf nodded in response; "Stack up,"

Nick turned the corner, holding position and holding his aim, covering Fang as the Wolf moved up to take position by the door. With their roles now reversed, Nick slowly moved to door too as Fang covered him.

Curiously, this was the only door that had been properly closed as they had wandered through the building, and was the only door that was made of steel…

And the only door that had been locked shut.

…

Nick and Fang both leaned against the wall, either side of the doorframe-

When suddenly through the muffled cracks of gunfire outside and the eerie silence of the half constructed building…

The symphonic melody of string instruments in perfect tune was audible through the door and wall.

…

The two canine's ears perked up at the slow and subtle chords… and they looked at each other in confusion.

"Is that… classical music?" Nick questioned.

"Yea…" Fang mouthed, "Pretty sure, it's Sarabande…"

Nick looked at him with a raised eyebrow;

"You know classical?"

"Oh, forgive me for not jumping on the Gazelle bandwagon like everyone else…" Fang countered amusedly with a smug smile.

"I'll admit, I'm not proud of that," Nick shrugged, "It was Judy who got me into her anyway-"

"Sure… blame the girlfriend every time," Fang's smug smile got a little bigger, and smugger.

"She's not my girlfriend yet Fang…" Nick smiled.

"All in good time buddy… Now let's crash whatever fu*king high-class party this is…"

Within a split second, Fang moved from the side of the door, standing in front of it before blasting each of the three hinges with three shots from his shotgun and then a fourth to the lock. With the door weakened, the Wolf battered it down with a swift forwards kick, and both he and the Fox aimed their weapons through the gap that was made.

As the door crashed to the ground, and the room opened to them, the classical music grew instantly louder, and they suddenly found themselves dumbstruck when they saw the contents of the room-

A significant increase in humidity.

The ominous lilac shade of ultraviolet light.

The harsh overbearing scent…

Of the toxic cerulean flowers.

…

The whole room, was filled, with Nighthowlers.

…

The room was huge, most likely what would have been a gym if the building had been finished. But now, tall steel shelves lined up in rows held blue plant after blue plant, all underneath a series of UV tube lights. Improvised pipework to provide irrigation travelled between the shelves, partially leaking due to the evidence of small puddles on the bare concrete flooring, as well as the odd watering can left on the floor. Along the left wall, several windows offered a bathe of natural light, but ultimately the room was dominated by the luminous purple hue. Along the right wall on a long set of steel tables was all the necessary distillation equipment used to extract the blue plant's vicious neurotoxin, along with several large gas canisters that resembled oxygen tanks.

In the moment of awe as they looked around the part of the room they could see, Nick and Fang became distracted:

All they could hear was the music.

All they could smell was the scent of the flowers.

And all they could see through the ultraviolet light was shelf upon shelf of the most dangerous plant to all mammals.

"You know…" Fang began, "… when we started day… I was expecting, drugs… like crack, meth, weed… or at _very_ least, catnip…" he paused as he looked at Nick, "… Why the hell did you have to be right?"

"Believe it or not…" Nick responded in a sarcastic yet resentful tone, "… I'm not happy about it either… I thought we'd finally seen the last of these plants… but the world just loves proving me wrong…"

Fang took a look around the mysterious room, before looking back at his comrade;

"Stick together,"

"No arguments here," Nick responded.

The two of them lifted their weapons as they moved through the room, checking every corner after each shelf of the malignant blue plants and eerie indigo light. Fang moved through first, leading with his AA-12, Nick covering their rear with his Vector, as the audible string instruments continued to play Sarabande; the fluent composition of notes emitting from speakers dotted around the room-

"There must be hundreds- thousands of Nighthowlers in here…" Nick commented, irritably.

"But, Fyodorov's a predator supremacist… it doesn't make any sense…" Fang looked back to speak to him, "… what would he want with these things?"

…

"I don't know-"

"Well, Officers…" a sinister voice called across the room, and pausing mid-sentence…

It startled the Fox and the Wolf, and quickly grabbed their attention as they hurried round the last row of plants shelves, and upon seeing the mammal behind the voice, Nick and Fang both raised their weapons…

Across the rest of the room, sitting on a chair with his feet upon the desk that was before him, was the Black Cat himself-

And Roan Fyodorov continued his sentence;

"If you asked… maybe I could tell you…"

…


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: I will admit, this is another one of those chapters where I'm worried how its received, because like I said a couple of chapters before, this is where the story really dissipates from that of THE RAID films (but with no less action) and this chapter is THE game changer… I don't want to say much else in case I give anything away or create any certain expectations… but a lot of information is being thrown out there in this update that I would love to get some feedback on if you have the time :)**

 **Thank you all again for your continued support, lovely reviews and welcome to the new readers too!**

 **Now I'll shut up and let you keep on reading ;)**

* * *

Chapter 19

 ** _'The Cerulean Mist'_**

* * *

Nick and Fang only made a strict solid stare, almost equalled by the deadly stare of their weapon barrels.

Three years of investigating this guy, not getting close, forced to grind through the layers of his organisation, arrest after arrest, interrogation after interrogation, at the expense of the lives of colleagues and friends and countless innocent civilians… eventually leading to this eventful day… this seemingly endless raid- a descent into hell which somehow they had survived thus far…

And here he was… lounging casually as if sitting for a spot of television on a lazy Sunday afternoon, with a peculiar and sinister smile across his arrogant muzzle. He looked so annoyingly casual it was as if Roan Fyodorov had practically welcomed the two of them into his humble abode with open arms.

And now that they were here, their minds drew a blank… Nick and Fang both knew procedure for arresting a perp, but they just aimed their weapons square on the reclining Panther, questioning themselves silently whether or not they should just pull the trigger instead…

But so many questions needed answering, and that Panther was the only one who could answer them-

"Oh, where are my manners?" Roan quipped, now showing teeth in his sinister smile, and gestured to the fruit bowl on his desk; "Fruit?"

"No thanks," Fang grumbled.

"Suit yourselves," the Panther answered, dropping his paws by his side-

"HEY!" Fang barked, "Keep those paws where I can see 'em!"

"Relax officer…" Roan raised his paws, "… I'm unarmed…"

Nick now spoke; "I highly doubt that-"

But he was cut mid-sentence when the speakers around the room began playing another track of classical music from Roan's playlist, prompting him to speak;

"Excuse me a second-"

And he was interrupted by the sound of two shotgun blasts: Fang had shifted his aim to fire at the stereo playing the music… the two shots tearing through the plastic device before Roan could reach for it, and abruptly halting the music.

Roan scowled at the White Wolf;

"Honestly… no appreciation for classical these days…"

"Shut up! … and get up!" Fang snarled, gesturing with the muzzle of his shotgun, "You're under arrest-"

"On what charges officer?" Roan retorted.

"Don't even get me started…" Fang snapped, "For your crimes you'll be in prison for the rest of your life!"

"But surely you're not going to send an old friend to prison…" Roan paused as he gently shifted his gaze to the Fox, "… Isn't that right Nick?"

Fang's aggressive expression became immediately diffused, now replaced with confusion;

"What?"

"We we're never friends Roan…" Nick spoke sternly, directly to the Panther, "… we barely even knew each other-"

"So you _do_ know this fu*ker!?" Fang scowled at Nick.

"Yea," Roan injected mockingly, "… he and I go way back-"

"SHUT IT!" Fang yelled, promptly silencing the smiling Panther.

Feeling peer pressured, Nick briefly began to explain; "It was a long time ago Fang… I was barely into my teens, but I knew how cruel this city could be- Not expecting you to understand-"

"I might surprise you…" The Wolf muttered.

The Fox let out an awkward huff;

"Basically…" Nick dithered, speaking harshly, "… Roan tried to persuade me to join his little _cult_ … back when I thought it was somewhere predators who had been wronged could go and feel welcomed… but then I found out what it was really about, and that he was a murderous raving psychopath-"

"Oh Nick, you're too kind-"

"SHUT UP!" Fang barked at the quipping Panther, turning back to the Fox and asking harsher than he intended; "Why didn't you report it to the police?"

"I did…" Nick snapped, "… but they didn't listen… Happytown was ripe with enough high level crimes anyway the cops didn't dare walk the streets… and as _he_ was dangerous, after the rabies outbreak and the quarantine I knew I had to keep my head down, so I became a small time street hustler to lay low…" Nick mumbled what he said next; "… was the only thing I was ever any good at anyway… and I didn't like to stay in one place for very long…"

"Certainly did keep your head down… until three years ago-" Roan interrupted, "Didn't expect to see you joining the fuzz-"

Another loud bang echoed in the room as Fang silenced the Panther with a warning shot, ignoring what he said, and continued the inquisition of his comrade; "Why didn't you think to mention any of this before?"

"I think that's beside the point at the moment, I didn't know anything that could help us today or ever, so I kept my mouth shut…" Nick affirmed severely, and turned to look at the suave Black Panther sitting behind his desk. Nick continued; "… right now, we have a warrant for your arrest… or to kill you… so give me one good reason why I shouldn't just pull this trigger right now!"

"Why?" Roan proposed, "… Don't you want to hear the grand reveal of my convoluted and audacious plan?"

"Wouldn't that be a bit cliché?" Nick asked.

"Yes. obviously… but I can see why all villains do it… I really want to tell you because it's brilliant, considering the circumstances," Roan insisted, "Plus… I think, you both want to know as well, don't you?"

Nick and Fang uneasily glanced at each other, before turning their attention back to the exulting Panther;

"Go on then…" Fang uttered.

"Well I'm not just gonna outright tell you," Roan mocked, "You got to start asking the right questions-"

"What's the deal with the Nighthowlers?" Nick snapped, "What's in those inhalers?"

"Not what I was expecting first-"

"Answer the question!"

"Easy officer… anyone would think you were both in a rush-"

Another loud bang of a shotgun blast echoed in the room as Fang fired a warning shot;

"Answer the fu*king question!"

"Fine…" Roan finally decided to stop mocking, considering another fairly large hole had been made in the wall behind him; "… In small doses, Midnicampum holicithias- that's the scientific term-"

"YES, WE KNOW!" Both Nick and Fang yelled in frustration.

After a pause, Roan grumbled;

"As I was saying…" and then he picked up his tone, "… in small doses, of a lesser concentrated formula, an inhalant will cause a user to revert to a slight more primal state, without inducing savage feralism… it works wonders for the body and mind…"

"What do you mean?" Fang asked.

Roan continued; "That, that inhalant unlocks the part of the brain our evolution has repressed since the Stone Age… it will make you a near enough unstoppable force… becoming more focussed on what you're doing… improved senses, increased stamina, increased strength, reduce pain receptors… effectively enhancing your physical condition far better than any performance enhancing drug could ever do… albeit momentarily… though the frequency of the inhalant will amplify the effects- … and I'm sure, you two have already put two and two together now…"

They certainly had, as Nick answered;

"Didn't do your Cheetah friend a lot of good when I cut his throat out,"

"All the same… I bet you anything he didn't go down easy… did he?" Roan chuckled.

"And you need this many Nighthowlers to make this… what? … Super-soldier serum?" Fang asked.

"Oh no, not at all… it takes very little to make the formula for the inhalant,"

"Then what's the rest of it for?" Nick asked suspiciously.

"Changing the world…" Roan finished, with that sickeningly sinister smile, enough to make the fur on the back of Nick's neck stand on end.

"Change the world… how?" Fang questioned, slowly, "With a new serum?"

"No… It's quite simple really," Roan explained, "All it is, is the same Nighthowler formula you encountered three years ago-"

"Which we now have a fast acting antidote for…" Fang interrupted confidently.

"Which I'm well aware of…" Roan's smile grew slightly wider, "… so I had to get, _creative_ , and that's where the difference lies… rather than distilling the serum into a liquid, I managed to refine it in gaseous state: The effects are the same… only the gas is far more transferrable- a single inhaled molecule is enough to induce complete savagery, but the effects will only be temporary, depending on the species of mammal affected, and the amount of gas inhaled…"

"How much have you made of this gas?" Nick probed.

"Enough…"

"To do what? Hold the city to ransom?" Fang enquired.

"No… ha! - What would be the point in that!?" the Panther laughed, "Nobody would learn anything then… of course I'm going to use it, and release it on the city,"

Roan's responses so far had not been anything like what Nick and Fang had been expecting, and every question seemed to make the Panther appear more arrogant, and make themselves feel less at ease. Nevertheless, they continued to pry into his plan… which as he had assured them, was convoluted as it was audacious. With a quick glance at each other, Nick and Fang continued to question the Panther. Nick spoke;

"Release it how?"

"Well I certainly had my options…" Roan responded, "… disperse using the sewerage systems, the underground rail lines… or even go all adventurous and use this bloody city's beloved climate control systems against it... but, I decided on something a bit more explosive… its far more theatrical…"

"More bomb attacks?" Fang growled.

"-It would have all been _so_ simple: … the concentrated Nighthowler gas would be released around the city from small, simultaneous explosions, several in each district… total coverage throughout the whole city," Roan paused, as his tone turned aggressive, "… But of course I had you bloody cops on my case, and ruining my plan… so I fell to my contingency plan instead… which became reality today,"

"Then what's your contingency plan?" Fang asked.

Again, Roan made that sinister smile before he spoke;

"Simple, one big bomb, one big explosion… one big gas cloud…"

"All or nothing…" Nick muttered.

"If you say so…" Roan quipped.

"How can you be sure that would even cover the whole city?" Fang questioned.

"Well…" Roan's smile, again, became wider, "… That's where Mother Nature herself decided to lend me a helpful claw…"

As if it was a pre-planned cue, a quiet rumble emanated from outside the building at that moment, the low pitched sound penetrating the windows… the far off call of thunder forced the realisation- it clicked inside Nick and Fang's head instantly, and they looked to each other restlessly;

"The storm…" Nick muttered.

"Couldn't've asked for better weather could I?" Roan continued mockingly "… The cyclonic nature of the coming storm will disperse the gas around the city… might not be total coverage, but it'll be enough… as we all know, nature is… unpredictable…"

"You'll turn the whole city savage, all at once…" Nick gasped.

"Of course, because we all know the serum works on all mammals… not just predators…"

"You're a predator supremacist… this doesn't make any sense-" Fang snapped.

"A predator supremacist! Ha!" Roan laughed, "I only let predators into my organisation because only they have that natural killing talent- prey don't… only predators have the guts to do what needs to be done… with the few exceptions of course… Plus, I had to make an image for myself… the kidnappings, killings, they were just for show… for the media to slander me with… and to keep you all distracted from what I was really doing: preparing for this-"

"Why are you doing this?" Nick questioned angrily.

"The inevitable question…" Roan acknowledged, "You see… this place… this whole bloody city, and the country around it… is an enigma… A perfect symbolism to everything that is wrong with this world…" his voice was strict; Nick and Fang continued to listen as Roan explained;

"You see… for a thousand millennia before Zootopia was created, you might remember from history class at school… Natural Selection had been the law of this world- and you know what else… it is a law that should never have been tampered with… it prevents the world from falling into chaos… and the very notion of predator and prey living together in harmony breaks this law… which I'm sure you both know personally, has never been short of its troubles…"

Nick didn't need any reminding of that fact, having been subjected to those troubles since he was younger, mostly from that still very painful memory of the incident with the Junior Ranger Scouts… what Nick didn't know was the Panther's comment had also touched a nerve to the White Wolf standing beside him. Even Fang had been on the receiving end of those same troubles; being the only predator family in an area predominantly populated by prey animals… it was bound to happen once, and it happened several times, only changing after his recognition for his fracas with the two muggers to save the elderly caribou in his teens.

Nick and Fang glanced at each other while the other wasn't looking, noticing clearly the scowl on the other canine's face, but neither of them said anything… they simply let Roan continue talking;

"… So… now with the advanced civilisation we live in, Natural Selection no longer plays a part… we've come to the point in our evolution where our intelligence will be our downfall… Zootopia will soon fall under the weight of its own affluence-"

Fang interrupted;

"Now you're just talking sh*t-"

"Am I?" Roan countered, "Think about it… with an ever expanding population there soon won't be enough resources to sustain us. Among the multitudinous problems that _will_ occur is starvation… and as soon as that sets in you know what will happen: … the government will round up all the predators before you can even utter the word: ' _Savage_ '… and then what will happen?"

Nick and Fang didn't respond.

"Believe it or not… I'm doing what I'm doing to _save_ this world before it destroys itself, and revert back to how it should be: All of the predators who stand by my side, all the predators you killed today, once normal mammals with dreams… belittled by others… like them all, _I_ am _sick_ of being treated as a lesser mammal by those who think they are better than me… especially by insignificant prey animals that should fear and respect predators for what they are: their superiors… so when the Nighthowler gas engulfs the city, it's going to be an interesting free-for-all-"

"You'll kill thousands!" Nick snarled.

"No, not at all… _millions_ will die as nature intends, but I won't have killed anyone," Roan insisted, "I'll be sitting back, watching as every Zootopian citizen rips each other apart… and when the blue mist dissipates, and the dust settles… Natural selection will have done its job, and only those worthy of a new world will remain standing…"

"And who's going to lead them… you?" Nick asked forcibly.

"Unless someone better comes along-"

"All this means nothing…" Fang cut in, "… That bomb isn't gonna do sh*t if you detonate it here-"

"Of course I'm not going to detonate here, fu*kin idiot…" Roan growled.

"Then where?"

"Where better? … A place where at least three of this city's most important buildings are all in one place… City Hall, Grand Central Terminal…" he said the next with a pure tone of distaste in his voice; "Precinct One…"

"Central Square…" Nick muttered.

"Precisely," Roan declared, "… with enough explosives to blast the entire square and the surrounding buildings into a smouldering crater-"

"And how exactly do you plan on getting there?" Fang grilled "… you've got nowhere to go, the ZPD has this place completely surrounded-"

"I think I've proven indefinitely that the ZPD has underestimated me today… and yet I will prove it further still,"

Fang raised his shotgun higher, aiming squarely at the Panther; "Not if I have anything to say about it-"

"Don't even try to stop me…" Roan threatened, "If you shoot me now all you'll do is make another martyr… there will be plenty of others to continue my work,"

"What others!?" Nick inquired furiously.

"Did you really think I'd be so stupid to put all my assets in one place?" Roan taunted, "I'm not your usual simple minded criminal who bolts at the first tone of a police siren… I've been planning this for years," his voice was sincere, "I know who to pay, and more importantly, how much… How do you think I got all the weapons? How do you think I got all the support? How do you think I managed to evade you all for three years? The entire ZPD couldn't catch one Black Panther? It's pathetic…" he paused a moment, "… I knew the raid was coming today- however short notice… so I made my preparations… I knew your friend, Detective Wolford was already undercover, so I made use of him as a distraction… I positioned everyone ready to halt your progress at every moment, giving me all the time I needed…"

…

"You see Officer's…" the Panther goaded, "… As soon as this day even started… you'd already lost…"

"Didn't plan out so well though did it?" "Nick argued, "… Because we're the ones who have _you_ at gun point…"

"Still part of the plan… because, you two haven't even realised…" Roan chuckled, and once again spoke with that sinister smile, "… I've been talking _far_ too long-"

Without warning, Nick's right leg was pulled from beneath him, making him fall forward and drop his SMG. Fang turned to help but was promptly stopped when something blunt struck the back of his right leg, forcing him to fall down to his knee-

Having been distracted by Roan's explanation of his plan, they had been completely unaware the two Foxes that had attacked them previously had sneaked into the room and flanked them, having been unable to hear them coming from the volume of conversation and their still partly hurting ears, and unable to smell them from the scent of the flowers…

Max had now unleashed his oversized claw hammer, carefully using the claw to swipe Nick's leg from behind; Nick didn't even reach the floor before Max had grabbed his outstretched left arm and pulled it behind him harshly, and then positioned the claw of his hammer across the front of Nick's throat- the metal pressed hard into the same spot the Cheetah had cut, making it bleed slightly more. Within a split moment, Max had Nick completely restrained and held in front of him, with his claw hammer held in such a way he could easily tear the cop's neck open if he so much as struggled.

Once again, Maisie had attacked the larger Wolf, striking the back of his leg with her baseball bat to force him to her level, where she then proceeded to strike his head- though she didn't get that far when Fang ducked, the bat just grazing his left ear as he twisted round and struck the vixen with the butt of his shotgun, pushing her backwards with a snarl… that was when he saw the other Fox had Nick restrained;

"Let him go!"

"Drop it!" Max ordered.

"LET HIM GO!" Fang yelled, this time aiming his shotgun at him, only for Max to pull Nick directly in front of him.

"Typical cops…" Roan interrupted, "… never watch their own backs…"

Fang glared over to him, and now was forced to sway his aim between the Panther and the two Foxes who now had his friend captive. Fang noticed Roan had now stood up from his chair… but in the commotion he forgot to realise he couldn't see where his paws were…

Roan knew this, and in the sudden tumult, he had thrust his left paw beneath his desk to slowly open a draw-

His paw now clasped on the handle of a fully loaded Desert Eagle .50AE pistol, with one in the chamber ready to fire;

"Now Officer, I'm going to be leaving…" Roan continued, "… Time to make the world a better place- you know… after making it slightly worse… you know where I'm going… and I'll be taking Nicholas here with me for collateral…"

"Shoot him Fang!" Nick shouted.

"Shoot, and the Fox dies!" Maisie threatened.

"Don't worry about me!" Nick insisted, looking at the Wolf directly, "Shoot him!"

"Go on Fang… shoot me," Roan taunted, "You know it's what you have to do… but can you live with yourself… that your friend's blood is going to be on your claws… you've got the gun… Do it!"

Fang hesitated… he knew it's what he had to do, but he couldn't do it… not after all they had been through today, he wasn't going to let this happen… but there was no way out of it. Before he knew it he had started backing away until he could see them all better… closer to the wall- where one of the large metallic gas tanks had been left on its own…

"Fang! Shoot him!" Nick shouted again.

"Shut up!" Max growled, pressing the claw of his hammer harder into Nick's neck.

…

"SHOOT HIM!"

…

"Come on!" Roan still taunted, "What's a young Wolf to do when he's backed into a corner?"

…

"SHOOT HIM!"

"SHUT IT!"

…

"SHOOT HIM FANG!"

…

Nick attempted to struggle as the Vixen tried to keep his maw closed. Maisie instantly pulled back when Nick tried to bite her, prompting Max to pull the claw of his hammer harder into Nick's neck… he managed to shout out one more time;

…

"JOHN! … DAMN IT! SHOOT HIM!"

…

And yet, even after the forceful use of his first name… Fang still hesitated. The grasp on his trigger loosened-

…

"I knew you couldn't do it…" Roan disdained, "That's exactly why I'm doing this: to purge the world of weaklings like you… You aren't worthy of the new world I'll create… because you're so fu*king weak you don't have to guts to do what has to be done!"

"We're not alone… Our squad is outside!" Fang growled.

"And they'll be too busy fighting you…"

"What?"

And then Roan spoke with what seemed to be a genuine piece of advice;

"Hold your breath…"

…

Roan lifted his left arm, revealing his .50 calibre pistol… and aimed it at the Wolf-

Fang had no time to react.

The deafening blast from the weapon was his last coherent thought-

But the shot on purposely missed: the metal slug struck the gas canister just beside him… the container falling to its side as the pressurisation was fractured and a large plume of blue gas erupted from the hole to strike the White Wolf directly in the face…

And Fang couldn't stop himself as he inhaled a full dose of the Nighthowler gas.

…

"FANG!"

Nick could only watch in horror as his friend fell to his side and staggered away out of sight behind a row of the plant shelves, coughing and growling as the toxin began to take effect.

"NO! GET OFF ME!" Nick snarled as he tried in vain to break away from his captors. He was being forcibly rushed out of the room as the cerulean mist began to fill it, leaving his Wolf companion behind inside to his fate.

Briefly congregating outside, and shutting the door hard behind them, four other armed mammals quickly approached the group, armed with shotguns or SMG's… and wearing gas masks. Roan quickly ordered them without a dither in his voice;

"Deal with that Wolf…"

"NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE!-"

Nick's protest was swiftly silenced as he took a punch to the muzzle. He didn't even register who it came from before his captors began to strip him of his radio, weapons and ammo, restrained his paws in front of him with zip tie plasti-cuffs and then he became further distressed as unexpectedly, Nick felt that same metallic feeling clamp around his snout as a muzzle was placed on him, his growled protests now mildly muffled;

"NO! -GGRRRGH!"

"Sorry about this Nick, just precaution is all," Roan explained with a softer tone of voice, "It won't matter for too long though… because you're not going be alive for much longer, and…" he turned the muzzled Fox to face him… Nick now forced against his will to look the Panther dead into his malevolent eyes;

"… After what you did to Madelyn… she and I are _truly_ going to enjoy killing you… very, _very_ , slowly…"

…


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: Happy Valentines Day everybody! … Right that's enough of that, this ain't no love story! (Well it kind of is, but we'll get to that _much_ later) If you're reading this story you're here for action, and I intend to deliver… especially after that cliffhanger last week ;) I think I should have put a cliffhanger/semi-cliffhanger warning on this story before I started it, because… damn do I love leaving you wonderful readers hanging! :P**

 **Also, you may have noticed I finally got a cover for this story! Big thanks for _SJC-Caron_ for making it and for _Lleu-Momiji_ on DeviantArt for providing the original artwork… very, very big thanks to both of them!**

 **And once again, thank you all for reading and for the continued support, whether you leave a review or hit that follow and fav button, it all means a lot :)**

 **Now let's get to the next chapter… Possible M rated violence content ahead. I know I've mentioned it before but I'm saying it again. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 20

 ** _'Savage'_**

* * *

The inhale was so sudden and so harsh, the gas almost felt like he had tried to eat a hot coal.

Fang's senses immediately faded, enough so he could barely register the protests of his Fox comrade as his captors took him away; it was as if he had been injected with a strong sedative… accept this one only caused pain.

He fell to the floor, partly from the force of the gas that had hit him, and the effects of the gas itself. Before Fang had even staggered to the ground and propped himself up on his arms, the toxin went to work immediately as it entered into his blood stream from his lungs. It spread like fire… almost literally: a searing burning sensation cascading both inside and outside his body. He felt like he wanted to rip out his own fur and his own insides for the possibility of instant relief from the intense agony, but his body wouldn't allow it… Fang soon realised he couldn't control his own motor skills, his limbs now had a mind of their own. The feeling of the toxin surging through him was so horrific he wanted to cry out in pain, but instead, the only verbal sounds he could make came out in angered, feral snarls.

After a few long seconds of immensely terrifying agony… the transformation, as it were, became somewhat… pleasant.

After briefly shutting down, Fang's senses became finely tuned, more so than his previous self, as if hit with a reset button. The pain had changed to a slight tingling sensation as his nerves became far more responsive.

Colours started to change as his eyesight reverted to a feral form, but also becoming more resolute and precise. Sounds and smells became more distinguished, picking up odours and noises from all around him, and recognising each of them individually.

He looked down at his paws… his claws seemed more pronounced. Growling ferociously, the Wolf started drawing four adjacent lines into the bare concrete floor as he sharpened his claws.

His rear lifted itself as his hind legs extended to support his weight, now standing firmly on all fours, and his bushy tail raised rigidly behind him.

…

Soon, Johnathan Fangmeyer wasn't himself anymore… his own consciousness locked away in the prison of his own mind as the animal- the Wolf he really was, is all he became. Every gift of sentiency evolution had given him became repressed- brutally snatched away by the cruel toxin that had invaded his lupine form.

…

If anyone attempted to call him by name, he wouldn't hear it.

…

All he was now was a Wolf.

…

A savage.

…

Growling, with teeth bared and nostrils flared.

…

Ready to hunt and kill-

A sound caught the Canine's attention: a short clunk and slight whine of an opening door.

He could hear voices.

He couldn't understand them.

But his senses told him they weren't friendly.

…

The Wolf chose to silence his snarls.

As if it was the only bit of the individual he used to be left to warn his new self of the impending threat.

Something told him this place was dangerous… and those other mammals wouldn't hesitate to kill him.

The simple response.

…

Kill first.

…

The White Wolf took a second to examine his surroundings… vision impaired by the blue mist that now engulfed the entire room.

But he didn't need to see.

He could still make out the smell and clearly hear the others mammals as they approached him.

There were four of them.

…

The Wolf was outnumbered.

But not outmatched.

…

The Panther had asked before what a young wolf was to do when backed into a corner.

These mammals were soon to find out…

The unstoppable wrath of a mammal reduced to a single instinct:

…

Survive.

…

* * *

The four armed criminals entered the room with a push: a hyena, red wolf, dhole and a jaguar, bursting through the door with weapons raised ready to fire, and ready to put down the feral Arctic Wolf inside. As they entered, it became clear the pierced gas canister had very nearly emptied its entire contents into the room, filling it with the thick azure fog, although the four armed criminals were spared from the airborne toxin themselves by the gas masks they wore…

But it also restricted their own senses.

"Fan out… find that Wolf!" the jaguar ordered, his speech partially muffled by his gas mask.

The four hunters dispersed through the room, checking down each row of the plant shelves, carefully watching their step so as not to trip on the few watering pipes. The blue fog was thick, barely being able to see a few feet in front of them-

Feral growls from the savage Wolf began to emanate around the room… never in the same spot. Each of the armed mammals at one point could hear them, turning instantly to face the spot it came from…

Only to see nothing-

The savage White Wolf dressed in black and blue meant he was a ghost in amongst the cerulean mist.

Even with no sentient consciousness to guide him… he was running rings around the four hunters.

…

That was the moment the four armed mammals realised that they: the hunters… had become the hunted.

"I don't like this…" the dhole spoke out nervously.

"Don't be a wimp!" the hyena scolded.

"Any sign yet?" the jaguar called across the room.

"Nothing yet,"

"I can hear him …" the red wolf muttered.

"We can all hear him dumbass…" the hyena chided, "Now find him!"

"How!? I can barely see two feet in front of me!"

The jaguar was riled from his companion's incompetence, forcing him to speak out;

"Then try using your fu*king eyes… he can't have just disappe- ARGHHH!-"

The feline's scream across the room alerted the others… but was swiftly cut short to the muffled sound of gurgling…

And the growls of a Wolf.

…

When the three other predators converged on the sound… the only thing they found was a dead jaguar… his throat brutally torn out, messily, with chunks of loose flesh and the unmistakable sight of blood cascading across the floor… the look of terror still clear in his lifeless eyes behind the lens of his gasmask.

And the savage Wolf was nowhere to be seen.

…

"Fu*k this…" the dhole jittered, "No one said anything about fighting a savage!"

"Yea… I'm with you," the red wolf added.

The two canines rapidly turned tail… they were already halfway to the door they had just entered from when the hyena called back to them angrily;

"Hey! …"

He himself began rushing to the door to force the red wolf and dhole to stand their ground. The two canines were already in the corridor outside with heir gasmasks off when the hyena reached the exit, and ripped off his own mask;

"HEY!" he shouted louder as he stepped out the door, forcing the two fleeing canines to look back at him; "Get back her- arARCGHhh!"

His speech was cut ultimately short when the savage Wolf appeared… leaping up through the door and clamping his jaws across the unsuspecting hyena's neck, dragging him to the ground.

"Oh sh*t!" the dhole exclaimed, as he and the red wolf observed in shock.

There wasn't any time for them to help either, and the hyena had no chance. He was already bleeding out from the bite wound in his neck from his severed artery when the savage Wolf immediately bit his neck again… this time, _much_ harder-

The sickening crack of bone snapping echoed down the corridor as the Wolf broke the hyena's spine, effectively ending his life in the instant.

…

With only the two of them left, the smaller dhole continued to run away, while the red wolf took a chance:

Aiming his Uzi submachinegun down the hallway, he swiftly pulled the trigger… His weapon only sounded for a few seconds before it ceased unexpectedly, having jammed during his volley… but some of the hurried shots of 9mm bullets successfully struck the feral Wolf.

…

It was a shame he was wearing ballistic armour-

All the red wolf had succeeded in doing was making the savage White Wolf even angrier…

…

"Sh*t sh*t sh*t, SH*T!" the red wolf muttered franticly as he tried to dislodged the jam. He could hear the feral Wolf's fierce growls, making him panic, and subsequently making the unjamming of his weapon exponentially more difficult.

He had scarcely managed to dislodge the jam and raise his gun again-

Just in time for the savage Wolf to leap at him…

The canine went for the off-guard red wolf's right arm, the one which was wielding his SMG. The savage Wolf bit into his upper arm, forcing a couple of panicked pulls of the trigger which led to nothing, before dropping the gun as he fell onto his back, the Arctic Wolf landing on top of him.

In the moment of shock, the red wolf threw a punch with his free left arm to the feral Wolf's head-

That was his last mistake.

The savage White Wolf swiftly responded… pulling his head away from the red wolf's body with a harsh jerk, while his teeth were still imbedded in the flesh of his arm. The red wolf howled in pain as his arm was torn from its socket with a fountain of blood, staining himself, the feral Wolf, the floor and walls-

Though he didn't scream for very long…

The savage Wolf slammed a paw to his face, digging his claws deep across the side of the canid's muzzle and, after throwing away the red wolf's dismembered arm, finished him with a swift and brutal bite, as the feral canine relocated his teeth into the red wolf's neck.

It didn't take long before he succumbed.

…

And the savage White Wolf went to continue his hunt…

* * *

The lone dhole hadn't gotten far despite having a head-start from the red wolf's decision to stand and fight… however it wasn't long after he scarpered he heard the other canine scream out in pain from what was an unmistakable brutal death.

…

And now the savage Wolf had his scent.

…

With hope to regroup with the rest of Roan's army, he was running as fast as he could to the other section of the 'L' shaped building, cutting through the maze of unfurnished corridors and rooms to try and lose his hunter so as to not share the fate of his fellow criminals.

But that was not to be.

…

He came to a sudden halt as the corridor he was running down opened out to the building's empty atrium, stopping just before he went over the edge of the 2nd floor balcony he was on; the edge before the three storey void protected by a temporary steel balustrade. There was no way to the other side of the lobby from this floor… which was exactly where he needed to get to-

He heard the Wolf approaching behind him, and gripped the trigger of his KSG shotgun before turning on the spot…

And wished he'd done it much faster when the savage Wolf collided with his chest, the impact forcing the dhole to pull the trigger in shock (and miss) as he and the Wolf burst through the banister and went over the edge…

…

* * *

After losing contact with Nick and Fang, the rest of the squad weren't taking any chances… and went on full attack.

Catherine and Wolford continued to provide sniper support as Mchorn, Grizzoli and Delgato made their own way to the adjacent section of the building, with intent to find their two lost comrades-

Completely unaware of their dire situation.

Each of them at one point or another had tried to contact the absent Fox and Wolf with their own radio as they fought their way through the build yard… but to no avail. Even if their radio was or wasn't being jammed now, neither Nick nor Fang was responding to their hails, and it made them evermore determined every second that went by with no contact.

However, due to their bold move, the hostile shooters had eventually been forced to retreat inside the opposite building, vacating the build yard, and ceasing to fight back.

This had now allowed Mchorn, Grizzoli and Delgato to enter the same side of the building Nick and Fang had earlier, and they proceeded to search for them while Catherine and Wolford remained in their snipers perch and provide observation from outside.

This section of the building appeared to be all but abandoned; the three SWAT officers decided to separate to cover more ground and radio check every minute… but so far there was no sign of their Fox or Wolf comrade…

Until now.

In an effort to find some stairs and ascend the building, Delgato had just entered the open, empty lobby area on the ground floor when he could hear a commotion a few floors above-

As well as a sudden gunshot.

The Tiger promptly took to the cover of a concrete pillar just as he heard it, when suddenly what looked like a steel gate fell from the floors above, clanging loudly off the concrete floor…

Followed by two mammals; a dhole landing hard on his back, and Delgato immediately recognised the White Wolf in tactical gear that had landed on top. Although a subsequent crack indicated the dhole's broken back from landing on a concrete floor from several metres and the weight of a Wolf on top of him, Fang himself appeared to be unscathed from a three storey fall-

"Nice of you to drop in mate…" Delagto greeted (what he thought was) his friend.

…

His greeting fell on deaf ears…

Though he deduced it was likely that Fang was disorientated from the fall. The Wolf had his back to him and was shakily returning to his two feet.

However, concerned his colleague might be injured, Delgato moved up to help;

"Fang?"

…

Now the Wolf turned around-

And the Tiger physically recoiled at the sight.

The White Wolf _was_ on his feet… all _four_ of them… blood dripping from his bared teeth and staining much of his muzzle and arms, his expression clearly hostile indicated by his feral snarl. There was no sclera in his eyes… his sockets dominated solely by his brown coloured iris and the deep black pupil in the centre.

Delgato had pretty much summed up the evidence… it didn't take a genius to know, but he still tried, anxiously, to reach whatever was left of his friend;

"Fang…?"

When a fierce growl was his only response, it definitely confirmed the evidence…

Especially when the Wolf had begun charging at him;

"Oh sh*t-"

As he backed away slightly to affirm his standing position, Delgato raised his rifle across his front… promptly stopping the Wolf's lunge at him as the canine collided against it, halting him in mid leap.

The Tiger struggled to hold the savage Wolf back, in a test of strength that was surprisingly difficult considering the canine's smaller size. Delgato caught him with his rifle across his neck as the Wolf started to claw at Delgato's chest, protected mostly by his ballistic vest while he pulled his head back to avoid the Wolf's snapping jaws trying to bite his neck or muzzle… with droplets of drool exuding from the canine's maw;

"Come on mate! Snap out of it!"

But no resemblance of his friend answered.

"Fu*k!"

Delgato growled as he lifted a leg to kick away the savage Wolf's footing and pushed his rifle forward to throw the canine away from him. The Wolf flew a couple of metres away, but quickly recovered in an instant, and Delgato prepared for another aggressive assault.

There was no doubt about it, he would have to subdue Fang physically…. Which was easier said than done in the case of a savage: they were vicious, uncontrollable, and unpredictable, and it often ended up with the feral individual getting injured in the attempt to subdue them. It put Delgato in a very awkward situation… because he didn't want to hurt the Arctic Wolf, but in his current state of a lacking coherent mind, Fang would not hesitate to kill the Tiger, just as he had done his previous four kills. The savage Wolf couldn't differentiate friend from foe… to him, everything and everyone he had deemed a threat to his survival, and therefore a threat to be extinguished… by killing it, before it killed him.

And Delgato knew this.

…

The Wolf charged at him again, missing cleanly as the larger Tiger jumped to the side just before the canine collided with him. In this gap of the encounter, as was necessary, Delgato reached for his radio;

"Hey! I'm gonna need some help over here!" he said it with urgency… as the Wolf went for him again, though this time Delgato used his rifle butt as a club, striking the canine cleanly to his left with a hefty swing.

" _Where are you!?_ " Mchorn responded down the radio.

"Main lobby!-" he cut his sentence in half when the Wolf didn't take the attack nicely: as the Tiger was distracted from talking in his radio, the canine grabbed the weapon with his jaws, yanking it directly from Delgato's paw, disarming him and making him stumble forwards; "… Ground Floor!"

" _We're on our way!_ " Grizzoli yelled down the radio.

The Wolf was immediately on the attack again… taking the Tiger's stumble as an advantage to bring him down to the floor by seizing Delgato's leg with his mouth… the canine digging his sharp predatory teeth into the Tiger's flesh.

The Tiger growled from the incisions as the Wolf's pull on his limb also furthered his fall. Delgato hit the concrete floor on his front, still with his leg restrained by the Wolf's teeth… just as Catherine's voice blurted down his radio;

" _What is it!? What's wrong!?_ "

Delgato couldn't respond just yet, seen as he was snarling through gritted teeth to fight the pain of a Wolf's jaws clamped on his lower leg and pulling on his flesh, with blood exuding from the wound. The Wolf's bite held strong until Delgato managed to flip himself over and used his free leg to kick the savage Wolf several times until his jaw loosened, and another kick to push the canine away before he replied to the Snow Leopard;

* * *

" _It's Fang!_ "

The Tiger's voice was clearly irritable, with a clear struggle in the background… and at the mention of his name, Catherine's heart dropped at the instant thought that whatever she was about to hear she wasn't going to like.

Though what Delgato shouted down the radio next was the last thing she expected to hear…

And one of the things she most feared-

" _He's gone savage!_ "

"WHAT!?"

Her exclamation almost made Wolford next to her jump and look at her troublingly; Catherine immediately moved herself from her snipers position and thrust her paw to her belt- specifically to her personal medkit… and pulled out the small medical injector Delgato had asked about earlier after the shootout around the church.

The tube labelled:

 _MHA2_

An acronym for: ' _Midnicampum Holicithias Antidote 2_ '… the second generation antidote made for the effects of the Nighthowler serum…

The fast acting antidote.

…

Catherine turned to her fellow police sniper;

"Mike-"

"Get over there," Wolford had practically read her mind, "I've got you covered…"

Catherine leaned over to pick up her sniper rifle, holstering it over her back with the carry strap before she hurriedly left the blasted church tower… Charging down the steps as fast as her legs would take her and keeping the MHA2 injector firmly in her right paw…

* * *

In the ground floor lobby of the uncompleted leisure centre, Delgato was still, in short, trying to survive himself.

Even in a normal state, Fang was the superior paw-to-paw fighter out of all of them… now as a savage, that also seemed to translate somehow; he was still overly agile and abnormally strong, and could take most of the punishment he was given… as well as to swiftly return it…

Delgato had manged to reassert himself on his feet, however much he was limping from the harsh bite the Wolf had made on his lower left leg.

It was barely a second before the Wolf sprang at him again, Delgato countering his attack by ducking and raising his arms to lift the Wolf over him. However, the canine's momentum was so much that as he was lifted over, the Tiger fell backwards onto his back, leaving himself vulnerable.

The Wolf recovered quicker too, and attacked the floored feline again… attempting to bite at the Tiger's neck. He was only stopped when Delgato raised his arms to hold the Wolf's open jaw back from his exposed throat… but the canine quickly distracted the Tiger by dragging his claws across the side of his face… Tearing off the bandage around Delgato's head and catching his bloody torn ear-

Just as the White Wolf was tackled away from him…

Grizzoli had rushed in on the scene… and upon seeing the scuffle on the floor, he immediately dropped his rifle and charged forwards. He dived straight into the fray, tackling the savage Wolf and freeing the Tiger.

It was a harsh tackle, considering he was nearly more than double the size of the Wolf… the collision threw the canine across the empty atrium, while Grizzoli had rolled over and was back in a crouched ready position.

For a brief half-second he turned his attention to Delgato and asked;

"You alright?"

"Watch it!-"

Grizzoli heeded his comrade's abrupt warning. He turned to face the enraged Wolf, only just getting the chance to block the aggressive canine; Grizzoli stuck his right arm up to block the Wolf's lunge at his neck… only now the canine had his jaws clamped on his forearm.

He managed to keep his footing so he didn't fall over, but the Lion still scowled at the pain as the Wolf's teeth incised his flesh…

Grizzoli responded with a rapid punch to the Wolf's head.

That only made the canine pull harder, and bite harder… and lift his paws to the Lion's chest to maul his front and push him backwards.

It was gruesomely bloody tug of war, with Grizzoli's left forearm playing the part of the rope… he used his free right arm to land a couple of blows on the canine, but whatever he did the Wolf still only growled fiercely and wouldn't let go-

At least not until Delgato intervened…

He approached from behind, using both paws with a firm grasp to pry open the Wolf's jaw from Grizzoli's arm, much to the canine's dislike.

The Wolf's movement became instantly more erratic and violent… he attempted to turn and snap at the Tiger until Delgato suddenly lifted the Wolf off the ground and threw him backwards across the floor.

The canine landed harshly, making a short yelp of discomfort…

Which quickly changed to a growl of frustration.

"Of all of us to go savage, why'd it have to be him?" Delgato asked rhetorically as he helped Grizzoli up but not taking his eyes off the feral Wolf, who was now back on all fours.

The Lion was about to reply, but at that moment Mchorn entered the scene with surprising haste, disarming himself of his minigun as he dropped the six barrelled death machine and the ammo backpack to the ground.

"Grab him!" Grizzoli yelled.

Mchorn charged forward just as the growling Wolf was about to assault the two large feline's again.

The Rhino's thundering footsteps quickly grabbed the canid's attention, but before he could turn around Mchorn had made his move:

Approaching from behind, he used his much larger stature to his advantage, using both his arms to grasp around the savage Wolf and lift him up from the ground.

The canine didn't take it very nicely…

He started to thrash around madly, with a ferocious and endless series of snarls, and outstretched claws and teeth. The canine's frenzied struggling was so violent Mchorn's firm grip on him quickly loosened; the Wolf turned around to face the Rhino still in between his two large arms, and brought a clawed paw to his face…

Mchorn recoiled when a single claw very nearly took his eye out, involuntarily letting his grip on the savage canine fail, who continued to struggle madly until he managed to wriggle free-

But he didn't relent from his counterattack on the Rhino; the savage Wolf quickly dodged another of the Rhino's grasps, then rapidly ran behind and jumped up onto Mchorn's back... brutally digging his teeth into the back of the Rhino's neck.

As a Rhino, it wouldn't do Mchorn a lot of damage, but having a Wolf putting all his strength into biting the back of your neck would hurt like hell for any mammal…

Wincing from the incisions, he reached behind his back to throw the canine off, but the Wolf's smaller physique meant he was just out of reach.

Considering the bite to Delgato's leg had left him with a mild limp, Grizzoli rushed over to help first:

Mchorn turned on the spot so the Lion had better access; Grizzoli jumped up onto Mchorn's back himself, using all his strength to remove the Wolf's jaws from Rhino's back… it was surprisingly easy-

That was because the Wolf had quickly turned on him…

Pushing off of the Rhino's back, the canine abruptly tackled the Lion, ramming into his chest and landing hard on the concrete floor, winding Grizzoli the moment he landed.

The Wolf moved to attack him again as he was on the ground, but he quickly lifted his better right arm to the canine's neck to hopefully choke him into submission…

Yet the Wolf reacted fast, trying to snap his jaws at the Lion's arm and maul his left shoulder… forcing Grizzoli to hold back the limb trying to claw at him with his other arm.

They were stuck in the fierce grapple for a mere second when just at that moment;

" _Leonard, d'you copy?_ " Catherine's voice called from his radio.

In order to respond, Grizzoli swiftly overpowered and pushed the canine backwards until he was positioned over his feet, and then kicked him further away with a coiled leg... leading for Delgato to grab the dazed canine in a choke hold.

And giving Grizzoli the chance to yell back in his radio;

"Little busy right now!-"

" _Try not to hurt him!_ "

"If anything he's hurting us more!" Delgato groaned, overhearing the conversation… literally followed by him snarling in annoyance as the Wolf managed to nip nastily at his arm holding the canine in place and making him lose his grip.

Grizzoli didn't respond immediately to Catherine's communiqué, thinking he was about to have to defend himself as the Wolf was free again-

But Mchorn intervened, once again approaching the canine from behind and using his larger frame to his advantage; he grabbed the Wolf's rear legs and pulled, flooring the unbalanced canine before picking him up, tossing him around and slamming him against one of atriums large concrete pillars, pinning the Wolf with his much larger hooves and disorienting him…

With the chance to reply now, Grizzoli spoke back into his radio, knowing the Snow Leopard's sudden communication was not just a courtesy call, he asked briefly;

"What's your plan?"

" _I've got an antidote, that'll bring him back…"_ Catherine replied sharply, worry clear in her tone, _"But I need to you to keep him restrained… I have to inject straight into his neck,_ "

Grizzoli was about to reply but was cut short when Mchorn made a loud grunt of pain. Barely a moment after he pinned the Wolf the canine had immediately reacted to being shoved against the column… scarcely a second went by before he began another frenzied struggle to break free from the Rhino's grasp, resulting to mauling at Mchorn's exposed limb;

"That's gonna be easier said than done!-" Mchorn griped as Delgato relieved him, pushing the canine back against the pillar with his arm across the Wolf's neck, again forcing the Wolf into another mad frenzy… and now attempting to snap and claw at the Tiger…

Grizzoli quickly turned back to his radio;

"Right, we'll work on it," he affirmed unsurely, "But hurry up!"

" _I'm already moving, just hold on! …_ "

…

The next minute felt like an hour full of physical torment as Grizzoli, Delgato and Mchorn tried to subdue their savage colleague and friend. However, every time they succeeded to catch him, the Wolf writhed so uncontrollably with a mad frenzy that he managed to slip away, leaving another bite or claw mark on the Lion, Tiger and Rhino, despite their firm grip… even when they tackled the canine simultaneously, he still managed to slip free.

The savage Wolf was relentless, and seemed to have endless energy while the other three were tiring, partly from the repeated failed attempts to pacify the canine, and also from the amount they were bleeding from the wounds the same canine had put on them.

…

There was no doubt about it…

They needed that antidote _now_.

…

* * *

She was at a full sprint as soon as she left the church doors… Catherine knew time was a factor here, as it was only a matter of time before one of her friends got seriously injured, or worse.

Savages were unpredictable and dangerous, even the smallest ones, and it didn't help that they hadn't been expecting to face any today; they were all ill-equipped. Every single weapon the SWAT Team had armed themselves with from the church basement was lethal, with intent to go ahead with the established shoot-to-kill rule of engagement that had been established today… which so far had not been a bother until they were now faced with one of their own turned against them.

Having to fight an army of armed criminals was one thing, but fighting a savage… especially when it's someone you care about…

It was a mammal's worse nightmare-

It was definitely one of Catherine's.

…

She travelled as fast as her legs would take her… charging down the overgrown pathway of the churchyard and under the lichgate.

She continued hurriedly, one leg before the other, without so much as a glance in either direction as she sprinted across the potholed road that separated the churchyard and the build site.

Reaching the opposite pavement, the Snow Leopard then rushed through the entrance to the build yard, heading directly towards the spine of the L-shaped structure where the atrium was. The dirt covered yard was now strewn with bullet casings and torn up dirt from the impacts… as well as several bodies of the vanquished criminals killed in the earlier battle.

Catherine stuck to the left side of the yard, with intent to run along the outside of the adjacent building, despite it being too much of an open area… which was fine now seen as no one was shooting at her…

She just made it to the shipping containers Nick and Fang had used for cover earlier-

When a far off gunshot echoed...

Followed quickly by another louder low pitched one.

A tuft of dirt exploded a mere inch from Catherine's foot, forcing her to trip slightly and halt her run. Before another shot rang out, she dived behind the huge steel shipping container- followed by a spark erupting from a bullet grazing the corner of the metal as another gunshot echoed.

Ducking low behind her steel shield, Catherine reached for her radio;

"Mike, what was that?" she asked irritably.

" _Couple of snipers just appeared on the roof,_ "

"Need help?"

" _No, I got this, you keep moving…_ " Wolford insisted, as the low pitched boom of his .50 calibre sniper rifle caught Catherine's hearing, "… _The others need that antidote!_ "

"Copy," Catherine affirmed, "keep me covered…"

" _Don't worry, I got you,_ "

Catherine moved to the opposite end of the container, seeing the blasted open fire exit door Nick and Fang had breached before they went inside.

She considered moving inside herself, but she didn't want to risk having to make her way through a maze, not knowing what the interior of the building was like. She decided to stay exterior and run adjacent to the wall, completely putting her trust in Wolford he would ensure she didn't get gunned down before she got there.

As short sharp cracks of sniper fire echoed, the Snow Leopard made her move, launching herself from the shield of the shipping container, out into the open.

She continued her run, taking a quick glance at the opposite building and noticing the small silhouette and hostile scope glare-

That quickly disappeared following another far off gunshot from Wolford's sniper rifle…

As Catherine sprinted alongside the exterior wall, only one more shot was sent her way… slamming into and excavating a hole in the concrete façade behind her; she reached the atrium just as the short session of gunfire ceased, Wolford having dealt with the opposing snipers.

…

She heard the brawl before she saw it.

Catherine rounded the entrance to the building, fiercely tearing through the tarpaulin blocking the doorway inside with a slash of her claws and followed through, opening out into the expansive lobby area…

Where she could clearly see the fracas before her.

…

Several small patches of blood stained the bare concrete floor, as well as what looked like a dead dhole, and a large piece of grated steel…

But that's not what caught her attention.

During the scuffle, it was clear Grizzoli, Delgato and Mchorn hadn't succeeded in subduing the savage canine considering the number of bite and claw marks on each of them, and the fact the White Wolf in tactical gear was still standing.

Catherine could see he had his back to her… and it horrified her to see the mammal she loved down on all fours, growling ferociously, covered in his own, his enemy's and his friend's blood… with no sense of who he really was clearly visible. It was like he was dead, replaced with the feral beast that he now was.

But Catherine held the glimmer of hope in her right paw:

She had the antidote-

And she would bring him back.

…

Just before the Wolf went to attack her colleagues again, she quickly caught his attention when she yelled his name;

"JOHN!"

Having made her presence known, Catherine pulled her sniper rifle from her back and threw it aside- she wasn't going to need it.

The savage Arctic Wolf turned to stare at the Snow Leopard, still scowling, having no recognition of who she was to him.

Catherine knew there was no point trying to reach him… Even though every ounce of his being wanted anything but to hurt her… she knew for a fact that his consciousness was locked away by the cruel neurotoxin, making him a prisoner inside his own mind with no control whatsoever of his actions.

Catherine held the antidote injector firmly, back-pawed like a knife. She knew she had to inject straight into his jugular vein- which meant having to get close to him.

She was aware of the danger in this situation; unlike the Lion, Tiger and Rhino, Catherine as a Snow Leopard, despite being quite strong for her species and gender was not as strong as them… and was as well, only slightly smaller than the Wolf… And in his savage state, it was more than likely he could overpower and kill her…

…

A split second later, the savage White Wolf- _her_ _Wolf_ , began charging at her.

But Catherine was prepared…

She only had one shot.

And she couldn't afford to miss.

…

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the frenzied Wolf approached her… teeth bared with a fierce growl and fury inside his feral eyes.

But Catherine didn't falter… every millisecond that went by only further augmented her fortitude…

And soon, the Wolf leapt at her-

…

It took barely a second:

…

She stepped a tad to her right, the Wolf colliding with her outstretched left arm with the momentum forcing her backwards.

As they both fell, Catherine twisted to her left along with the weight of the canine, grimacing from the pain as the Wolf sank his teeth directly into her left shoulder…

While she lifted her free right arm to the canine's exposed neck-

And praying she'd hit the right spot as she jabbed the injector against his skin.

…

It immediately took effect.

…

Before they both even hit the ground, the Wolf fell completely limp as they rolled across the bare concrete floor… coming to a sudden calming stop:

Catherine lay on her back, breathing heavily with a mild amount of blood gushing from the bite to her shoulder as she slowly reasserted herself with reality…

It was done.

She looked slowly to her left; Fang was lying on his side, left fully unconscious beside her, his arms and legs sprawled out in between them. Even in his induced comatose state, his expression had instantly changed… it became relaxed, his teeth were no longer bared, his breathing calm and deep, and his muscles were at peace with themselves. It was as if he was young wolf pup who had just dozed into a deep soothing sleep after a long day of playing… leaning his head over Catherine's left arm like a small soft pillow, as the exhales from his nose ruffled the fur on her arm.

Of course, that was as far from the truth of what he had just been through… Catherine knew right now Fang was a tortured soul… but as some of the longest seconds of her life passed by while she gazed at him…

She couldn't help but feel her heart warm after her brief scare.

…

The antidote had worked.

…

She had him back.

She had _her Wolf_ back.


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hello all you wonderful readers! First of all, just wanted to say I'm glad last week's chapter came across nicely; writing a savage mammal scene was certainly different compared to the other action sequences of this story.**

 **Also, I'm just letting you all know I might take a tactical decision to leave a two week gap till the next chapter after this one, I know that's not what you want to hear but it's not definite… just depends how this week's writing progress goes.**

 **Once again, thank you all for reading and the continued support… and stay on the edge of that seat of yours, because… well… I'm not gonna throw any details or expectations your way. Just read on… ;)**

* * *

Chapter 21

 ** _'Zero Hour'_**

* * *

The scene in the atrium was ultimately quieter now…

Though, it had barely been ten seconds from when Catherine hurriedly entered the atrium that she had brought an abrupt end to the previous brawl.

She still lay on her back, catching her breath after her sprint and the intermittent stress of having to subdue a savage mammal. It wasn't something a ZPD Officer had to do very often, or ever in fact, and indeed something any of them never wanted to have to do either.

Fang was still out cold, sprawled on the ground beside her as the antidote was still in motion to nullify the toxin and restore his full brain function… It wouldn't be long before he roused back to his full sentient consciousness.

However, what he would be like when he awoke was unpredictable… coming back from being turned savage effected different mammals very differently… but Catherine knew that her friend- the mammal she loved… _her_ _Wolf_ : Jonathan Fangmeyer, was a more than resolute soul, and after some quick adjustment and comfort, he would likely be looking for payback rather than wallowing in despair of what had just happened to him.

With this confidence, Catherine eventually decided to sit up. At her first stir, she cringed as a sudden sting from the bite Fang had made into her shoulder contacted her nerves when she attempted to retrieve her arm from beneath his head; she cringed even more when the pain multiplied tenfold once she tried to move her shoulder.

Catherine only just noticed her own disorientation as she sat up; Grizzoli, Delgato and Mchorn had rushed over to check her wellbeing considering she hadn't moved. Grizzoli had kneeled down to assist her leaning up, but whatever he was saying to her didn't reach her impaired hearing as she felt a dull pain in the back of her head from hitting the floor quite hard;

"You were supposed to keep him restrained…" Catherine grunted innocently.

"Don't you think we tried?" Grizzoli remarked back, his voice now less muffled as he showcased the brutal bite Fang had left in his arm with a subtle gesture.

"That was good tackle," Mchorn complimented.

"Technically he tackled me," Catherine corrected, clutching her bleeding shoulder as she looked between them, "… Was there any sign of Nick as well?"

"No, it was just Fang we found…" Delgato answered, "… he dropped from one of the upper floors with that dead dhole… guess it wasn't just us he had a problem with…"

"Savages tend to have a problem with everyone…" Mchorn muttered.

"True…"

"We have to find Nick-" Catherine spoke up.

"We will," Grizzoli responded uneasily, "… but I'm not gonna risk us splitting up again, at least not till Fang wakes up so we can ask him what happened,"

"He's out cold," Mchorn commented, looking at the unconscious Wolf.

"Just keep an eye on him…" Catherine said as she glanced at the Wolf herself.

"We'll manage that," Grizzoli claimed, then turned to the Rhino and Tiger-

But was cut mid-sentence when Wolford's voice suddenly uttered down their radios;

" _Guys what's the sitrep? You all ok?_ "

"We're good for now," Grizzoli replied.

" _Roger that… I'm keeping an eye on the building… It's looking pretty quiet right now, but I'll give a shout if anything changes,_ "

"Thanks Mike," Grizzoli finished, then turned back to the Rhino and Tiger; "Rick, Seb, secure this area, collect our guns… make sure we don't get any surprise ambushes,"

"Got it," Mchorn answered, he and Delgato immediately moving to follow his order.

They went across the atrium to retrieve their dropped firearms, including scavenging the KSG shotgun and 12 gauge ammunition from the lifeless dhole to add to their inventory considering Fang no longer had a weapon. They both proceeded to check the several hallways that left the expansive lobby and into the maze of the building, while Grizzoli tended to Catherine…

The bleeding from her shoulder had mostly stopped as she had applied pressure to it, covering much of her right paw in her blood. Grizzoli took notice, bearing in mind Catherine's smaller stature than the rest of them, the injury was more serious, even compared to the multiple bites and claw injuries he, Delgato and Mchorn now had… and unlike them, who were just seeping a trivial about of blood, Grizzoli could see that Catherine was clearly trying to suppress some serious pain;

"Let me see that," he gestured to her shoulder.

"It's alright really- AH!" Catherine gasped from barely moving her shoulder an inch.

Even though he had an empty medkit, as the squad medic Grizzoli wouldn't be deterred by the Snow Leopard's stubbornness as he kneeled down to attend to her wound… especially since any mammal with a basic knowledge of anatomy could tell, due to the obvious swelling and odd lump in her shoulder;

"Your clavicle is fractured," Grizzoli diagnosed.

"You sure?" Catherine asked, "… I didn't think it was that bad…"

"Well…" he huffed, "… tell me if this hurts-"

It didn't take much of a prod for her to feel it: Grizzoli had barely touched Catherine's collarbone before her face scrunched up and she let out a pained snarl.

"He must have bit you pretty hard…" Grizzoli assessed, standing up.

"Sh*t…" Catherine muttered, "First dislocated now fu*king broken…"

"Not broken, only fractured, I think… Just try not to move it,"

Catherine nodded lightly as Grizzoli went over to the aged tarpaulin she had torn through to enter the building, now fluttering mildly in the harshening breeze outside. He grabbed onto a sizeable piece before ripping it off with a slice of his claws with intent to make Catherine an improvised sling for her arm.

Returning to her, he knelt down, slipping one end of the tarp underneath her left arm, carefully adjusting the angle of her elbow to a right-angle without moving her shoulder, and pulling the other end above her arm where they both met behind her neck… a stiffly tied knot ensuring the improvised sling stayed in place;

"Sorry it's rough… but that'll have to do for now until we get out of here,"

"Its fine… thanks," Catherine uttered gratefully, "… Though how am I supposed to shoot with this now?"

"Here…" Grizzoli continued, offering Catherine his spare handgun that he had poached from the church basement armoury to compliment his M1911; a CZ-75, with a long, high capacity magazine; "… with only one arm you won't be sniping, or reloading, but you can still shoot… so if we get into another firefight, make every shot count… pick up new gun when you're empty, and stick close to us,"

Catherine took the pistol willingly, placing it into her empty hip holster with the long 26 round magazine sticking out obtrusively, when just at that moment, Delgato and Mchorn returned to them, now rearmed with their own dropped weapons;

"Area's clear…" Delgato stated, handing Grizzoli his rifle, "… though if any of them heard us they'll definitely know we're still here,"

"If they're regrouping they'll be waiting for us to come to them," Mchorn stated.

"I agree," Grizzoli commented, "How are you guys on ammo?"

"Plenty…" Mchorn answered, tapping his minigun's ammo box on his back, "… there's at least a good few thousand still in here,"

"I've got seven mags left," Delgato replied, and then displayed the additional weapon he had; "… and we picked up this shotgun for Fang when he wakes up,"

"Ok, we'll hold here for now," Grizzoli clarified, "Depending how long he's out for, I don't want us stopping for too long,"

"… He should be ok in a few minutes…" Catherine explained, "… Call the antidote fast acting… it still takes a while for the antibodies to isolate and destroy the toxin… and the mixed in sedative really takes it out of you,"

"You seem to know a lot about this Catherine-" Mchorn questioned curiously.

"And you never explained earlier…" Delgato began, having just remembered asking her before, but never got a proper answer; "… How come you just so happened to have a Nighthowler antidote in your medkit?"

The Snow Leopard looked away as she replied unsurely; "… I always carry one…"

"Why?" Mchorn pried.

"Guys… leave her alone," Grizzoli voiced calmly.

"No- no, it's fine Leonard…" Catherine mollified, "Cops will be cops after all… Half the Officer's at Precinct 3 know anyway, I'm just sick of getting the sympathy for it…"

Confused from the unusual response from her, in the split second from stopping the other two asking her snooping questions, Grizzoli had gone to asking them himself;

"What do you mean?"

Catherine almost curled into a ball, still sitting on the floor next to the unconscious Wolf, as much as she could without moving her left arm in the improvised sling. Her long fluffy tail came to wrap around her front over her feet as she leaned forward, her free right arm hugging her knee;

"Well…" She began, almost bitterly, "… you remember the second wave of Savage Attacks that happened after Bellwether's arrest?"

"Yea… three years ago," Mchorn replied.

"Nearly the whole Force was working on it…" Delgato added.

"Including us at Precinct 3…" Catherine paused a moment before she continued, "… During the investigation, a couple of ZPD Officers in Tundratown were targeted… and-" she stopped suddenly.

…

"You were one of them…?" Grizzoli suspected.

"Yea…" Catherine muttered, "the only one actually…"

Grizzoli, Mchorn and Delgato each shared a look of confusion;

"How come we never heard about this?" the Rhino asked.

"Brass decided to keep my identity secret to avoid any alarm among the force to keep everyone focused, and the public weren't told to avoid any _more_ panic… but everyone at my precinct knew it was me… considering how I wasn't turning up for work,"

"How did it happen?" Grizzoli asked.

"I don't rightly remember…" Catherine replied, "but what I do is: it was night… me and my partner at the time was chasing a lead down at the docks about a possible hideout... after a five hour stakeout it proved the lead to be solid so we called for back-up, but the perps were packing up so we moved in ourselves to give more time for it to arrive…" she paused as she took a deep breath, "… after that my memory is hazy, but I do remember us getting into a firefight and I felt something hit me on my right arm... turns out one of the fu*king rams got a lucky shot on me with one of those bloody blue Nighthowler pellets… My partner had to use his tranq gun on me to stop me killing him… when I came around in hospital three days later he said it took him three darts to eventually knock me out,"

"Woah..." Delgato uttered.

"Because of that, and the recurring risk of random savages was the reason they made the fast acting antidote," Catherine continued, "They were going to distribute it so every ZPD Officer carried one, but it barely went into mass production before the case was solved,"

"And there haven't been any savage attacks since…" Grizzoli said.

"Until a few minutes ago," Delgato pointed out.

"Yea…" Catherine continued, "… but I still carry the antidote with me everywhere I go just in case it ever happened again, because… Going savage, isn't even something I'd wish on my worst enemy…"

"Well, thank god you did have it," Mchorn commended.

"Thanks for telling us that Catherine…" Grizzoli said to her sincerely, "Must have been tough,"

"I don't know what to think of the experience anymore, after the intense pain of getting hit with the toxin I don't remember a thing," she responded simply, glancing at the unconscious Wolf; "… but… I do know exactly what he's just gone through… and… - … just the thought of what you did- or what you could have done, is enough to cause a mental break down,"

"I wouldn't worry…"Grizzoli also glanced at the unconscious Wolf, "… he's a tough son-of-a-bitch-"

"Literally…" Delgato added, "… but don't say it to his face… I learned that one the hard way…"

That actually forced a cheery huff from the Snow Leopard… and apparently also caused the sleeping Wolf to stir slightly.

"He's coming round," Mchorn announced.

"Back up, give him some air," Grizzoli ordered.

Grizzoli, Delgato and Mchorn, moved away slightly, while Catherine stayed where she was, next to the Wolf and overseeing him as he woke up…

A subtle whine came from him as Fang gradually blinked his eyes open, gently lifting his head off the floor and slowly propping himself up on his arms. He'd only moved his upper body so far- till his tail swished to the right as he moved his legs so he was in a sitting position… still propping himself up on his arms.

He appeared calm at the moment, his movement seemed fluidic and serene but it was clear he was disorientated; his ears twitching between backward and forward and repeatedly blinking his eyes occasionally making a silent scowl as his senses readjusted to normal and paying no attention to his company.

It took a good few seconds for his vision to clear and his hearing to retune… his sense of smell indicated that he wasn't alone but he made no movement yet…

Because he was looking down at his paws… transfixed on them, seeing his usually white fur matted in a deep red: blood covered his claws, as well as his paw pads and the fur around them… and some of the crimson liquid had also splattered up his arms. As he moved his tongue in his mouth, he could feel the crude taste of blood left on his sharp predatory teeth, and the same feeling of matted blood across his muzzle…

All of a sudden, as he became reminded what had happened to him, Fang went from calm steady breathing to hyperventilating in a second, and his eyes widened- not particularly looking at anything, as if he'd just gone into shock.

Catherine intervened, softly moved her free right paw to Fang's muzzle, gesturing for him to look directly at her;

"John easy, easy ok… just look at me and breath," she soothed, pulling him to face her.

He made a weak couple of nods as his eyes fixed on her, clearly showing his distress with how hard he was trying to suppress the tears forming in his eyes. Catherine made sure her expression was as calm and comforting at it could be to reassure Fang after his trauma… though that wasn't very difficult when she was gazing at the mammal she loved.

A mere few seconds passed, and soon Fang's breathing calmed to a normal speed… before all of a sudden, he lifted his arms up, forced them forwards and tightly wrapped them around the slender Snow Leopard, Catherine responding by embracing her Wolf with her free arm in a deep consoling hug, leaning across the other's right shoulder;

"It ok now, you're ok,"

"No…" he finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "… It's not-… it's not ok… Nothing about this is ok…"

It took Catherine slightly by surprise when Fang abruptly disengaged from the hug, looking around the place till his eyes fixed on the rest of his colleagues, asking forcefully;

"Where are we?"

"The lobby of the leisure centre…" Mchorn answered, "You've been out for a few minutes-"

"Have you found Nick!?" Fang interrupted.

"No… only you-"

"Sh*t… SH*T!" Fang exclaimed, moving quickly to his two shaky feet, nearly falling over before Grizzoli and Delgato both caught him, "… It's my fault… I shoulda' just…"

"John, take it easy!" Catherine warned.

"Seriously mate… you've just been through a lot," Delgato insisted as he and Grizzoli proceeded to move Fang till he was leaning on one of the atriums concrete pillars, where he slumped onto his rear and held his head.

"Just stay still for a moment, you're still disoriented," Catherine asserted, sitting beside him, gently placing a paw on his shoulder.

"What the hell happened anyway?" Grizzoli asked, more forcefully than he intended, "Where is Nick?"

Fang looked up at him, his expression clearly troubled;

"They got him- he got him…" he responded instantly, "Roan took him hostage… don't know where, but I know where he's going-" he attempted to stand up again, cringing from a pain in his side, "… we have to- urghh-"

"Whoa… Take it easy!" Grizzoli forced him carefully back down, "Just tell us what happened first…"

"I don't know…" Fang uttered irritably, "it- it's all still hazy in my head,"

"Just tell us what you can," Catherine said to him softly.

"Alrigh-… alright…" Fang huffed innocently, tightly blinking his eyes and shaking his head once, trying to remember, "… After we lost contact with you guys… me and Nick continued to move through the building…" he began to explain briefly, "… But, other than the two Foxes that had already attacked us, the place was empty… and then we lost them, so we… we-" he tripped over his words, cringing at himself, "… we went down to the second floor and that's where we found where Roan was hiding…"

"Second floor..." Grizzoli said, "So now we know where we're going-"

"No-… no…!" Fang interrupted, "… he won't be there anymore… we tried to arrest him but we were ambushed by those two fu*king Foxes again… they had Nick restrained, and then…" he paused unsurely, "…that- … that's the last thing I can remember… apart from…"

Fang looked down at his paws again… fighting back the tears again as his face grimaced in anger. For a second he was again transfixed on his paws, or more specifically, the blood that had covered them, as if trying to wish it away from him. He could still feel it on them, and fresh around the fur of his muzzle, and suddenly lifted his paws up in desperation to wipe it away… only to successfully rub it further into his white fur.

He felt embarrassed- ashamed of himself… he'd fu*ked up and he knew it… and as punishment he had felt himself turn into a monster, the reaps of which were clearly evident by the blood he could taste, feel and smell… the blood of his enemies, and of his colleagues- his friends…

Fang craned his head to look up at them, seeming to only just notice the bloody state they were in themselves; clear and obvious injuries he had laid on them while he was, by any other definition: a beast;

"I did this to you guys..." he said distressfully, "I'm so sorry…"

"Just a few bites and scratches," Delgato said calmly, "nothing major-"

Mchorn shoved him to shut him up, speaking himself;

"You weren't yourself… we aren't gonna hold it against you…"

"Maybe-" Delgato joked, only for Mchorn to shove him again, "what? … I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit,"

"It's not working Seb" Fang muttered.

"John, trust me…" Catherine soothed, pulling his muzzle to look directly at her again, "… I know exactly what you've just gone through… and I know it isn't easy…"

He looked at her sincerely, and affectionately… turning to concern when he saw the bite wound on her left shoulder… which, despite the obvious evidence with her arm in a sling, she had been trying to hide;

"I hurt you…" he whispered.

"I can manage…" she assured with a smile, "… I survived a helicopter crash for god sake," she pointed to her shoulder; "this is nothing… I'm just glad I've got you back…"

The obvious logic of her comment as well as the carefree attitude she said it with, along with the reassuring smile and affectionate gaze from her pristine blue eyes finally forced a smile to break on Fang's muzzle.

"John…" Grizzoli spoke, taking Fang by surprise as he kneeled down beside him… He knew when Grizzoli was serious because it would be only on those rare occasions he would use his first name; "... Right now, we need you to focus… we're not out of this yet…"

After a long pause, where Fang was clearly thinking things through in his pained head… he nodded;

"Damn fu*king right," uttering confidently, and turned to Delgato; "…now give me that shotgun…"

The Tiger handed him his weapon and the bandolier of ammunition… as Fang's sudden resilience generated a confident smile on each of his companions;

"Got our Wolf back!" Delgato cheered, giving Fang a paw to help him to his feet.

"You sure you'll be ok to fight?" Catherine asked, as Mchorn helped her up.

"I'll be fine," Fang replied assuredly, smiling at her warmly, "Though what about you? With the whole err…" he gestured uneasily to her improvised sling.

"Well, thankfully you went for my left shoulder…" Catherine humoured, assuring him of her combat effectiveness despite her handicap; "I'm right pawed, I can still shoot with one arm,"

"What about you guys?" Fang turned to the others, "I didn't claw you up too much did I?"

"Oh, I think we can manage ourselves," Mchorn said smugly, Delgato agreeing with a flippant nod, and Grizzoli a subtle chuckle.

It was overly reassuring to Fang how well his friends and colleagues had taken his unexpected savageness against them, despite the injuries he'd put on them… he couldn't tell whether they were just doing it for his benefit or whether they actually meant it… but it had instantly renewed his confidence in himself…

"Do you remember anything else that might useful?" Grizzoli asked the Wolf, equipping his rifle, "… Because clearly we're going against perps with weaponised Nighthowlers… but do you know what Fyodorov's using them for?"

"Yea, I remember… fu*king idiot told me and Nick everything…" he began, whilst checking the shotgun ammo he had, "It's not the pellets this time… he's managed to transform the old serum into a gas… it turns mammals savage by inhaling it… that's how it got me…"

"Oh great…" Mchorn moaned.

"Uh-huh… apparently it's all some kind of fu*ked up crusade to revert the city back to how he thinks it should be… how the world shouldn't have changed from natural selection…"

"Sounds like he's talking sh*t…" Catherine thought out loud.

"Yea, that's what I said," Fang nodded, "His intention is to release the gas on the city by blowing up Central Square… apparently with enough explosives to turn the whole place into a crater, and then the coming storm would make it spread around the city…"

"So, even the weather's on his side?" Delgato complained, "Brilliant,"

"Turn the whole city savage at once…" Catherine voiced, clearly perturbed, "… it'll kill millions…"

"Roan doesn't care how many mammals die…" Fang added, "… only about his mission… that's why we have to stop him…"

"I guess this is that thing Mike said they were keeping secret," Grizzoli uttered.

"How the hell are they going to get there though?" Mchorn questioned, "Central Square is over 20 miles away…"

"He didn't say-" Fang replied.

"The Loop…" Catherine blurted out, grabbing everyone's attention, "… the Inter-district highway… the contractors finally completed it last month and the nearest junction isn't far from here… goes straight to Savanna Central…"

"He'll have to break through the Confinement Zone first," Mchorn stated.

"It's obvious he must have some kind of road transport… and it has to be something big to carry that amount of explosives," Grizzoli presumed.

"Didn't Mike say they turned the unfilled pool into a garage?" Delgato asked openly.

"Yea…" Grizzoli said firmly, "… Then that's where we need to go… and stop them before they move-"

Just then their conversation was cut abruptly short.

…

In the distance they heard a lurid rumble, also feeling it through the earth with their feet… but it wasn't that of thunder from the approaching storm as it had been before…

It was the sound of an engine-

" _Guys, come in!_ " Wolford shouted down the radio, " _Movement outside… they're pulling the tarp off the building… there's a- holy sh*t,_ "

…

With haste, they all rushed to the atrium entrance, Grizzoli wafting the tarpaulin dangling in front of it aside to reveal the source of the engine noise, their eyes widening in shock:

A heavily modified semi-truck, makeshift and murky… already at speed and travelling through the build yard to the entrance by the main road.

From the rear forwards, a large steel shipping container was mounted on the trailer, clearly fortified with thicker metal… making it bullet proof, and protecting the obvious volatile and toxic cargo inside. The cab was only small, but clearly had the same treatment of extra armour being added, protecting the occupants, and the sleeper cab had been opened up, allowing what looked like extra seats behind the driver, as well as space for a turreted M134 Minigun on a roof hatch above the right side rear seat. The front windscreen had been fortified with a steel wire mesh, and on the front of the vehicle, added onto the bonnet and replacing the front bumper was an obtrusive mounted ram that would make short work of even the biggest of the ZPD's fleet of vehicles, let alone the quickly erected barriers of the Confinement Zone…

Or any civilian vehicles that got in its way.

The truck, by any other standards of a vehicle… was a monster-

…

It quickly reached the entrance to the build site and turned right at the exit, heading down the urban hillock and littered main road towards Checkpoint Alpha… where the entire raid today had started.

Fang had took a good but quick gaze as it had driven past, enough to examine the armoured lorry; a Honey Badger was in the driver's seat, and he could see the Fox and Vixen duo that had captured Nick in the back of the cabin… But there had been no sign of the Panther, or his taken Fox comrade… but he had to assume they were both on that vehicle somewhere-

Until a line of vehicles, some much less, some even more modified than the armoured truck appeared from behind the tarpaulin of the building the same place the truck had come from.

He only caught a glimpse-

But a glimpse was all he needed…

Nick was in the right side back seat of one of the following vehicles; a scruffy blue pickup truck… now being held at gunpoint by other mammals in the car that Fang didn't recognise-

"We're too late…" Delgato muttered, stating the obvious… considering they had lost their chance to stop them.

They weren't just criminals anymore, they were terrorists… and were already on the road, and already moving…

And the SWAT Team were the only ones who knew of their plan.

And the only ones who could stop them.

…

So like they had done from the start of the day-

Like all the other times the odds unexpectedly shifted against them…

They would have to improvise.

…

"Not yet…" Mchorn rumbled, countering Delgato's statement…

When suddenly without warning, he charged forward into the open.

"Rick- WAIT!" Grizzoli yelled.

But Mchorn continued his charge, thundering across the open build site leaving huge tracks in the dirt as he went. He held his minigun in front of his face to let the attached ballistic shield catch the few bullets that were sent his way in a futile attempt to stop him, a couple managing to strike him in where he was less protected…

But Mchorn barely felt it… shrugging it off while he kept charging forwards.

As the small convoy of vehicles continued to follow the armoured truck… Mchorn found what he was looking for; he dropped his minigun behind him as he rammed hard into the side of one of the escaping vehicles; to their luck; a LAPV pickup. Even the heavy armoured car couldn't withstand the force of the Rhino's charge: Mchorn dented the bodywork as he collided with it, forcing the vehicle sideways with a harsh swerve and colliding into a pile of clay bricks, ploughing through until it hit another pile, stopping the vehicle indefinitely.

A wolf suddenly popped out of the rooftop hatch of the LAPV, aiming an M4 carbine with an attached underbarrel M203 grenade launcher, with intent to shoot the Rhino as he retrieved his dropped weapon-

The wolf practically lost his head when the far off boom of a .50 calibre sniper rifle echoed over the sound of revving combustion engines; Wolford still continuing to provide excellent sniper support for his fellow Officers.

And he continued to while the others hurried across the open expanse of the build yard. As Mchorn recovered his minigun, Grizzoli and Delgato aimed and wildly fired their rifles to give him and themselves more covering fire, as bullets began to fly in their direction.

They were all vulnerable out in the open, so Mchorn didn't waste any time when he retrieved his minigun, bringing the barrels up to speed in an instant to turn and bombard the enemy shooters left behind by the convoy.

He and Delgato began to work in tandem again, cutting down any hostiles that got in their way, as Fang, Grizzoli and Catherine rushed to the crashed LAPV, intending to commandeer the vehicle.

There were only two mammals left in the armoured car, a weasel in the driver's seat, desperately trying to find a magazine for his G26 pistol…

And a cheetah, who had just exited the vehicle the opposite side with intent to stop the cops, holding an AKS-74u. He rounded the front of the vehicle-

Getting blasted in the chest and head with a splatter of blood and cut up flesh the moment he entered Catherine and Fang's vision with his shotgun and her pistol.

The weasel in the driver's seat was still faffing around trying to load his gun when Grizzoli forced the passenger door open, leading for Fang to aim through the open gap that was made-

He shot the weasel driver dead… nearly blasting the unlucky mustelid in half with the gaping hole left though his chest, and painting the interior of the driver side door in a sickening crimson overcoat.

"Get in the car!" Grizzoli yelled at Fang.

"Me?" he instantly questioned.

"Yes! Me, Rick and Seb can't fit in this thing, and Catherine can't drive with her arm!" Grizzoli insisted, "John! It's down to you now! … Get after that truck and do whatever you can to stop it!"

A row of bullets slammed into the side of the vehicle, causing the three of them to duck low. Grizzoli took the chance to reload his rifle, and Catherine holstered her pistol, picking up the dead cheetah's AKS-74u for her new weapon.

But while they were taking cover here, they were wasting time… and they couldn't afford to.

Fang was honestly flustered, but Grizzoli was right… right now he was the only one could do this, and hesitating had screwed him over earlier, so when Grizzoli noticed him falter, he shouted at him again, his voice booming and imposing;

"What are you waiting for!? We'll hold it down here! … Now GO!"

Finishing his last command to him, Grizzoli turned to join Mchorn and Delgato in the firefight, continuing to exchange gunfire with the remaining armed criminals in their headquarters for what would be their last battle of the day.

Fang immediately found his further resolve. This was more than just a simple cops vs bad guys battle now…

This was about saving the city- saving Zootopia.

And saving a friend.

With Catherine sticking by him, he rushed round the front to the opposite side of the vehicle, yanking open the driver's side door… and proceeding to pull out the two halves of the weasel's body to join the ground.

He was just about to climb in when;

"Hey…"

Catherine caught his attention.

He turned instantly to look at her…

"This is one-time use only…" she said, displaying the MHA2 injector she had earlier used on him, suddenly tossing it away now that it was nothing but junk, "… so don't get hit again…"

"I never said thank you," Fang replied.

"You don't have to,"

She suddenly dropped her compact rifle, and lifted her free right arm to hold him, Fang responding by wrapping both arms around her. They didn't stay connected for longer than a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity as they embraced… Only ending when Catherine leaned up, and whispered into his ear calmly, the words taking Fang slightly by surprise;

"I love you…"

But it warmed his heart to hear them;

"I love you too," he soothed in return.

The Arctic Wolf and the Snow Leopard then shifted their muzzles together, engaging in a short but passionate kiss, indulging in the moment of bliss as much as they could before they had to back away from each other.

"Now get going…" Catherine assured him, "We got this handled here,"

They gazed at each other with one last confident, loving smile before Catherine picked up her dropped weapon and left to take her place in the firefight, meanwhile Fang climbed into the armoured vehicle, into the driver's seat, and shut the door-

But there was a small problem…

 _Small,_ being the operative word.

…

The pedals and controls of the LAPV _were_ adjustable, but currently they were in their smallest setting, having just had a weasel behind the steering wheel… his larger stature was just too big.

Nevertheless, Fang pressed the engine start button… slammed his foot on the clutch and the gearstick into reverse, recovering the (now scratched) front of the vehicle from the pile of bricks, before pushing the gearstick into first, successively increasing in gears as the engine revved.

It was incredibly uncomfortable: there was no way Fang could fit these controls himself, and he knew it… at least not for as much as he would have to drive… and there was no time to change the settings.

He was going to need some help… or at least a smaller driver.

And he knew exactly who it had to be…

Fang made an impulse decision as he drove away.

…

There was only one mammal small enough in the entire ZPD that could drive this thing properly, even injured… and definitely wouldn't hesitate if it meant saving the city-

And saving Nick.

…

And she was back at Checkpoint Alpha…


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hey everybody, before I say anything else, I'd like to apologise about the two week gap… I had to do it for some unforeseen technical difficulties, but everything is fine so no worries there… plus my writing progress was fairly sloppy and I think I needed a break, because writing action sequences can be surprisingly tiring!**

 **Anyway, from now on, I am planning as usual to upload weekly, still on Tuesday's (unless you'd prefer a different day?) but for one time only, I shall be uploading the next chapter this FRIDAY on the 10th… because this next chapter is in two parts. Why? Because it worked better as two parts! :P**

 **To BoneMeal: Trust me you aren't the only one who makes those weird observations, and now I can't get the 21 meme out my head! But it was just coincidence, not on purpose. And honestly I don't know how I write like I do… it's just how I write, but I'm glad you like it :) and I am very well thank you, even if my response is 11 days late :P**

 **And as for the rest of you… Didn't I promise you all Judy would get to see some action again? So I'm gonna shut up with my ramblings so you can all get reading, as its non-stop to the end now… but I should warn you… things are going to get worse before they get better.**

 **Once again, thank you all for reading and the continued support :) onto the next chapter…**

* * *

Chapter 22

 ** _'The Cop Killer – Part 1'_**

* * *

The distant rumble of thunder echoed again as the clouds began turning grey…

The storm was close to the city now: the sun had been hidden away behind the haze of darkening clouds, smearing Zootopia into a varied pallet of shades of grey with much less of the sun's omnipotent light to bathe in. The wind had grown exponentially harder and louder by the minute as the storm approached, fluttering discarded litter across the roads and ruffling the canopy of trees… filling the many species of mammals of the utopian city with restless anxiety.

…

And completely oblivious that they were facing Armageddon…

* * *

Away from the Confinement Zone, further down the road from the quickly erected barriers at Checkpoint Alpha, a group of lightly armed patrol officers had been marking the road. The only action they had seen all day was listening to the distant gunfire and explosions, and ordering the occasional unaware civilian, pesky journalist or news reporter away from the area of operation.

They had become bored as the time had passed, but they were still as ever vigilant… as was their job…

So when a lone vehicle came towards them down the road, they went to investigate.

The vehicle was and old unkempt sports car, with some patches of stripped paint and rust. It looked like it belonged on a scrap heap more than anything, and was a surprise it was even moving. There was only one occupant in the car: a single coyote in the driver's seat, who slowly applied the brakes when a ram police officer held up his hoof to tell him to stop.

The officer approached the vehicle with a firm grip on his sidearm in his holster as the car came to a halt. He gestured for the coyote to wind down the window, and spoke sternly to the canine inside;

"Excuse me sir, but this area is currently under Police lockdown, you'll have to turn around,"

"Oh, not a problem Officer," the coyote reacted, "I'm just here to give my witness statement for a murder…"

"Really now?"

"Yes," he replied roguishly-

Before he aimed a loaded pistol out the window at the cop and fired instantly.

The bullet tore through the ram's skull with a splatter of blood and brain matter, killing him instantly as he dropped backwards lifelessly to the ground.

Before the other cops in attendance could shoot him, the coyote rammed his foot on the accelerator, sending the vehicle racing forward and knocking down another officer, crushing him under the wheels of the car…

He was eventually stopped when a flurry of bullets cut through the windscreen and killed the coyote where he sat, painting the inside of the vehicle in his blood, his lifeless corpse making the car swerve across the pavement and crashing into a storefront with the sound of smashed glass.

With two officers down, the other stunned cops in attendance believed their sudden ordeal over-

Until an unmarked van came speeding down the same empty road towards them, clearly not looking like it was going to stop.

The armed police officers fired on the vehicle instantly-

But failed to halt it when a ferret jumped out the driver's seat, rolling across the ground and scampering away, leaving the van to travel forward on its own.

The armed cops managed to shoot out the van's tyres…

But it was too late before it careened past them and rammed into the first in the line of parked ambulances and other police vehicles-

Bursting into flames and blasted wreckage with a ground shaking explosion, the fire claiming anyone nearby and several of the parked emergency service vehicles in a searing flash-

…

* * *

The sound of the blast brought the attention of the Chief, and all the officers present.

Bogo stormed out of the Mobile Command Centre…

Judy staggering out after him with surprising haste given her limp on her oversized crutch.

They both expected to be looking beyond the temporary barriers towards the Confinement Zone… Except the blast had come from the opposite direction… _outside_ the Confinement Zone, down the main road away from the Checkpoint… a column of smoke indicating the ensuing chaos;

"Find out what's going on over there," Bogo ordered several of the armed officers present, hoping to himself it was just something minor despite the fact he didn't believe it…

But it was only about to get much worse.

…

"Hey!" A single voice shouted out.

Judy heard it, but Bogo didn't.

Her ears perked up as she turned her head to see the origin of the call: the armed police officer in the mobile guard tower at the Confinement Zone barricade.

"HEY!" he shouted again.

"Chief!" Judy yelled to Bogo, gaining his attention.

But they immediately became distracted by a sudden rumbling in the earth, the sound of a roaring combustion engine…

"ARMOURED TRUCK! INCOM-"

And the booming howl of a truck horn… perforating everyone's hearing-

The entire barrier of the Confinement Zone gave way to the gargantuan vehicle as the armoured semi smashed right through with the sound of shearing and crashing metal, toppling the barricades and the mobile guard towers with one swift stroke. It shortly halted to a stop in a cloud of tyre smoke, dragging blackened skid marks onto the old tarmac…

* * *

Barely a second passed before the Vixen; Maisie, ascended into the mounted minigun on the cabin, spooling the rotary barrels instantly and started firing wildly at anything that moved, and specifically targeting any of the ZPD's fastest and strongest vehicles. The occasional explosive round and incendiary round in the ammo belt blasting apart or igniting anything it shot at.

The Fox; Max, was leaning out of the cabin window, wielding an M32 MGL, and fired from the opening… sending several 40mm smoke grenades around the perimeter of the parked lorry, three on one side, three on the other… creating a sheltering smoke screen in a matter of seconds from a multitude of different coloured smokes.

At the back of the truck, the rear doors of the trailer were quickly unlatched, and swung open with a violent burst. Several more smoke grenades were thrown out to complete the smoke screen…

And a couple of seconds later it was thick enough for sufficient visual cover; several heavily armed predators disembarked from the back of the trailer, armed with assault rifles or machineguns, splitting up to engage the police.

The Black Cat himself: Roan Fyodorov followed them, heavily armed himself with a bullpup Tavor Tar-21 assault rifle, his now holstered Desert Eagle .50 pistol in his left hip holster, and a holstered M320 grenade launcher on his right hip holster.

He darted to the left as he exited the armoured lorry, his assault rifle pressed into his shoulder, aimed and ready to shoot and kill any cop that got in his way.

Because, he had stopped here for a reason.

…

He was a mammal on a mission…

The ZPD had taken something of his-

 _Someone_ … who meant the world to him.

And he wanted her back…

…

* * *

"Hopps! Stay down!" Bogo bellowed at the Rabbit, forcing her down behind the cover of the armoured SWAT APC, parked beside the Mobile Command Centre.

For once today Judy wasn't going to debate an order, considering she was injured, had only her lightweight ballistic vest on, and had no weapon-

Unlike Bogo.

As soon as the truck smashed through the barricade and he had pushed Judy into relative safety, he swiftly reached to his hip holster to grab his weapon:

A Model 500 magnum.

Crouching behind the APC himself, Bogo aimed towards the rear of the armoured lorry when he saw the steels doors swing open, witnessing several smoke grenades being thrown out to cover the area…

Undoubtedly for some armed criminals to step out. There was no other reason they would be deploying a smoke screen… and Bogo was sure they would come out shooting-

The Buffalo caught a glimpse of one of the armed criminals through the smoke;

It was a cougar, armed with an AUG HBAR machinegun, and was clear he had spotted the Cape Buffalo when he fired…

But Bogo didn't even flinch when the bullets started flying his direction.

He just held his aim.

And fired-

A huge flash of flame exorcised from the barrel of his hand cannon as it launched the .50 calibre pistol round, blasting the advancing cougar right through the heart, killing him instantly with the burst of a red mist behind him to mingle with the expanding smoke cloud…

Judy leaned down to the ground, viewing through the gap beneath the APC to witness the dead cougar drop to the ground… and for another set of larger feet belonging to a tiger to instantly emerge from the smoke

The sound of bullets impacting metal sounded as the tiger aimed for the Buffalo, this time forcing Bogo to take cover behind the armoured police car.

If only Judy had a gun of her own, she could hit the large feline from beneath the APC, she was small enough to crawl underneath…

But there was no matter, the tiger immediately suffered the same fate as the cougar when Bogo peered from their cover to fire again… striking the big cat through the neck with another blast of blood mist…

* * *

On the opposite side of the parked semi-truck, as Bogo was cutting down his armed accomplices, Roan was tearing through his officers…

Some of them, almost literally.

He had already gunned down two officers still startled by the sudden appearance of the armoured lorry as soon as he emerged from the smoke screen, riddling them with bullets before they could even comprehend what was going on… and he continued to advance, escorted by two other armed accomplices, a wolf and a bear, armed just as, if not more heavily than himself.

Roan had definitely had time to practice his shooting; his aim was precise and accurate as he fired his rifle, occasionally dropping down behind a parked patrol car to reload… and he knew exactly when to as well, considering he had been smart when loading his magazines; adding a single tracer round to ignite his stream of gunfire when he was five rounds from the end of his magazine, indicating his moment to reload.

Roan knew exactly where he was going: he was heading straight towards the line of ZPD prison vans… specifically the only one with the rear doors closed.

And no-one was going stand in his way…

The smoke screen was now beginning to dissipate around the area, but was still providing him and his two comrades enough cover as they casually moved between the mass of parked police vehicles, gunning down any armed police officer that dared to stop them-

Until their progress _was_ promptly stopped when a hyena officer seemingly poked out from nowhere, and fired directly at the Panther…

The bear pushed Roan out of the way and took the bullets for him, gutting him through the chest and stomach before dropping to the floor dead.

It took them quite by surprise as Roan and his remaining canine comrade took cover behind another squad car. The hyena was currently was the only police officer they had encountered so far who had an automatic weapon… armed with an M4 carbine.

But this mattered not. While Roan crouched round to the opposite end of the car, his other accomplice; the wolf, attempted to grab the hyena's attention by peering over the bonnet-

And quickly took several bullets through his skull as he poked his head up to shoot at the wrong time, dropping backwards to the floor in a bloody heap.

But the distraction had worked at the cost of his comrade's life… In retaliation, Roan swiftly stood from behind the patrol car, already aiming in the cop's direction and fired a harsh burst of ballistics at the pull of his trigger… striking the hyena across her chest.

Even though the cop was clearly out of the fight… bleeding out and slowly dying…

Roan was merciless.

The officer barely had chance to raise her paw in a feeble plea for her life before Roan put her down for good, firing his rifle with a single paw as he strolled past the patrol car the hyena had been hiding behind-

He ducked behind another vehicle as more gunshots were directed at him from his right… but they were out of his way. So rather than returning fire, Roan stayed below the patrol car, and pulled the pin on the single frag grenade he had armed himself with and tossed it underneath the vehicle. The deadly explosive sphere rolled across the ground until it stopped beneath the car the armed police were using for cover…

Roan didn't even look up to watch, he just waited for the explosion-

The grenade detonated, and ignited the police car's fuel tank, throwing it marginally into the air with an expelling torrent of searing flames…

And claiming the cops that had been shooting at him.

Now Roan looked up at the smoking carnage, satisfied… and looked away as he continued towards the prison van…

* * *

The Coyote; Madelyn, Roan's beloved wife, had been brooding inside the prison van ever since she had been locked in there over two hours ago… and every minute she sat, her paws clad in plasticuffs, a muzzle encasing her snout, and trapped in this cage like a savage had been fuelling her rage at her law enforcement captors-

But the bellowing truck horn had perforated her hearing as much as it did to all the police officers outside.

However, unlike them… to her, it was a symbol of hope.

And she knew exactly what it was:

Roan's contingency plan.

A split second after hearing the horn, Madelyn stood from the floor of the vehicle, as well as she could manage with her injured leg from the bullet wound the Fox cop had left on her. She moved over to the rear of the van, peering through the barred windows of the armoured doors to witness the carnage outside…

A huge armoured semi-truck, encompassed by a cloud of multi-coloured smoke, and the repeated cracks of gunfire-

And she saw the Panther, Roan… her husband.

He was coming for her, to free her from her prison.

He was strolling through the mass of parked police vehicles, exchanging gunfire with armed cops, slowly making his way towards her. Madelyn was silently enjoying the bloody spectacle, very rarely getting to see her husband's ruthlessness in action… it only furthered her assuredness of how devoted he was to her…

The sudden blast of an exploding police car caused Madelyn to recoil from the window slightly, the bright flash startling her having spent the last couple of hours in such a dark place.

She went back to peering out the window… she saw Roan again, and it was clear he saw her too;

He made a gesture with his left paw to tell her to move backwards away from the door, which Madelyn immediately followed and turned away from the exit, knowing what he was going to do…

* * *

Roan let his rifle fall to his side, dangling from the carry strap, and pulled the M320 from his right hip holster, already pre-loaded with a single high explosive 40mm grenade, and aimed at the door of the prison van-

A short clunk sound sprung from the weapon as the grenade was fired, culminating in a small explosion as it struck the van doors, destroying the lock, and blasting the doors inward making a small gap.

Roan holstered his grenade launcher and rushed to the van doors with a swift run, prying them open from the gap with all the might he could muster. On the other side, Madelyn had stood back up to help him by pushing from her side…

A moment later the doors eventually gave way, the Panther and Coyote's eyes locking as they saw each other;

"Can you walk?" Roan asked tenderly.

"I can manage," Madelyn replied, her speech muffled behind her muzzle.

"Come on…"

Roan thrust his left arm around her as Madelyn stepped from the back of the vehicle, proceeding to help her walk with her weight on his left, so as to still hold his rifle in his right paw to defend them.

With no resistance as they travelled back to the armoured lorry, Roan and Madelyn made it there in a mere few seconds. They rounded to the end of the trailer, Roan assisting his wife to make the climb into the back of the mounted shipping container, assisted by a single Wolf that was still inside who went by the name of Jason, and was in fact the married couple's own personal doctor;

"Get her out of those restraints," Roan ordered the wolf, who nodded in response.

The Panther then checked back outside, looking to the right: the opposite direction he had turned a minute ago…

Through the smoke he spotted the decorated Cape Buffalo-

The Chief of Police himself, as he shot dead another one of Roan's fellow criminals.

…

The chance was so perfect, he would be a fool to pass it up…

Roan reached down to his left hip holster… pulling out his own .50 calibre pistol.

He raised it till the iron sights were fixed firmly on the Buffalo, taking the moment to wait until he had a clean shot through the smoke-

* * *

Through the chaos, after witnessing Bogo drop another one of the armed criminals… Judy caught a glimpse of the Black Panther wielding the gun, and aiming straight at her commanding officer…

She reacted accordingly, the only way she could:

Risking her own health as she leant entirely on her oversized crutch… Judy raised her good left leg to kick the back of Bogo's knee hard, forcing his leg to buckle and fall as she toppled from her crutch when her injured leg collapsed beneath her.

Judy landed hard onto the old tarmac on her side, only to hear the loud bang of the Panther's firearm-

And for Bogo to let out a pained grunt of;

"URRGHH!"

As the bullet hit him with a splatter of blood, and he joined her on the ground…

…

* * *

Roan smirked as he saw the Buffalo fall.

He lowered his weapon, holstering it back on his left hip before he slammed the side of the of the trailer loudly and shouted;

"FANG IT!"

Indicating for Mitchell; the Honey Badger driver of the truck, to start pulling away.

Mitchell instantly put the truck into gear, and gently applied pressure to the throttle, while Maisie descended from the turreted minigun to relent the police of their ballistic torture… and Max leaned out the window to fire another lot of six smoke grenades with the MGL, creating another smoke screen cover for the rest of the convoy still to follow them…

The lorry began to move, and the bellowing horn of the gargantuan vehicle perforated everyone's hearing again as Roan climbed into the rear of the trailer, turning about to close the double steel doors behind him and latch them shut.

He turned around and approached his wife, who was leaning against the wall of the steel box; it had been barely a moment, but Jason had already freed Madelyn of the constrictive muzzle, yet her plastic pawcuffs still remained round her wrists, digging harshly into her fur.

In a split second, Roan crouched down on his knees and flipped out his freshly sharpened folding karambit, Madelyn's very first and most important gift to him… he instantly began cutting away at the plastic, carefully, due to the rocking of the now moving trailer, and in a couple of seconds the blade broke through, finally freeing the Coyote's paws.

As Madelyn began to massage her paining wrists, Roan affectionately placed a paw on her right shoulder;

"How do you feel?" he asked her tenderly, referring to her bullet wounds.

"I got shot Roan… how do you think I feel?" She replied bluntly.

Roan's response was a fixed gaze, assuredly into her eyes;

"Then I'll make them pay-"

Madelyn instantly placed a paw on his right shoulder, preventing him from moving away and watching him intently;

"Thank you for coming to get me…"

"I wasn't going to leave you…" Roan smiled warmly, "I couldn't have lived with myself if I did… Maddie, you're my whole world-"

"-And you are mine," Madelyn returned the smile.

The two of them leaned into each other, their muzzles coming together to share a quick, yet gentle kiss, a simple expression of passion between the two lovers.

Roan eventually backed away, and turned to the Wolf who had been looking away from their private moment;

"Jason…" Roan caught his attention with the use of his name, "… fix her up for me,"

"Right-oh boss,"

"I'm going to the cab," Roan continued as he stood up, only for Madelyn to grab his arm;

"Be careful,"

"Don't worry, this'll all be over soon…" he crouched back down to her level, placing his paw on her shoulder again, and spoke sternly, "… And I promise you, when it is over… that Fox and that Bunny who hurt you will be hanging on our wall…"

…

* * *

Judy was still in mild shock from the sudden change of pace and situation of the day.

She briefly peered from behind the APC to see the result of the surprise attack…

And barely got any chance to see, because as soon as the armoured semi-truck had driven away, another volley of smoke grenades had been launched to disguise the convoy of other vehicles that suddenly appeared from the broken barriers of the ZPD's Confinement Zone. They drove through the smoke and with enough speed Judy could barely count them…

But she did get a particular long look at a scruffy blue pickup truck as it drove past-

And could swear she recognised the Red Fox in the back seat;

"Nick?-"

She instantly flinched from several metallic impacts of bullets hitting the front of the APC, some of them ricocheting off the armoured car to embed into the old tarmac.

It forced her to crouch back down on the ground, where she stared through the gap underneath the vehicle. It was then she noticed there was still one armed criminal out there: a leopard with a Galil assault rifle, and was moving towards her.

Judy looked back at the downed Buffalo…

Bogo hadn't yet moved from being shot, but he was still breathing-

But he wouldn't be for much longer if that leopard got to him.

Judy quickly formulated a plan, and crawled underneath the APC, dragging her oversized crutch with her and waiting for a moment to strike the leopard.

She didn't have to wait long.

The hostile feline walked causally with his rifle raised, right up to the armoured car... rounding to the side to finish off the injured Chief of Police-

Now he was close enough:

From her hiding place beneath the vehicle, Judy swung her crutch hard, striking the unsuspecting leopard in the back of his leg and forcing him down to his knees.

The Bunny crawled out from beneath the vehicle, and was about to strike the leopard again, until he suddenly turned and swung his arm around… slamming Judy against the door of the APC across her neck.

It winded her instantly… and Judy tried her best to pry the leopard's paw from her neck, but it didn't help that he was over three times her size, and obviously stronger…

As the only thing she could do to get out this situation, she opened her mouth and clamped it down on the leopard's paw, her sharp two front teeth digging out a divot of the leopard's flesh…

For the first time in her life, Judy tasted blood.

But it worked… the leopard let her go, instantly recoiling from the pain of the harsh bite the Rabbit left in his paw, and subsequently dropped his rifle.

Judy lifted her crutch again, and began swinging it down against the leopard, striking him again and again with all her strength-

Until he had had enough… the leopard grabbed the Rabbit's crutch, and forced her down with it pinned across her chest, attempting to move it across her neck and crush her windpipe-

Until he realised his dreadful blunder…

While pinned on the floor, Judy had reached for the leopard's dropped rifle, the trigger conveniently positioned next to her-

Despite the fact the weapon was almost as big as her, the adrenaline she was feeling helped Judy to lift the weapon…

Not that it mattered… the weapon barrel lifted itself from the recoil as Judy pulled the trigger with her much smaller paws… effectively cutting the leopard in half and splattering blood in every direction as the weapon roared loudly…

After the feline dropped down dead, Judy shoved the crutch away from her, and quickly returned to her feet, leaning off the APC to relieve her injured leg…

Only to realise the leopard wasn't alone.

She looked up as another shooter: a wolf, was already aiming at the Bunny, stopping her dead in her tracks-

When suddenly the canine's chest exploded with a fountain of blood from a deafening gunshot emanating from beside her.

Judy looked to her right, seeing the smoking barrel of the raised hand cannon with Bogo's arm attached, and him, looking up with a very begrudged expression.

"Chief…" Judy mouthed, "… are you alright?"

"Just winged me Hopps… I'm fine…" he grumbled.

Judy could see the state of his injury; the bullet had struck him below his right shoulder, and he was bleeding heavily from the wound…

But Bogo didn't seem at all fazed by it.

He returned slowly to his feet, and looked at Judy seriously, "… thanks for the assistance…" and then his voice turned strict, "… but don't you _ever_ kick me again."

Judy responded, with a half humorous, half serious; "Yes sir-"

…

Another low pitched car horn yowled from up the road leading into the Confinement Zone, repeatedly…

More trouble.

There was a sudden screech of tyres as an armoured LAPV emerged from the smoke and pulled up not far from the Bunny and the Buffalo, making its own cloud of tyre smoke from its sudden stop.

Bogo raised his revolver, and Judy raised her oversized rifle, ready to defend themselves-

But instead, they were presently surprised to see a familiar face…

Even if he was covered in blood, as a White Wolf swung the LAPV's driver door open with a harsh push;

"Judy, get in!" Fang shouted to her.

"What?-"

"Get in!" Fang repeated, stepping out of the vehicle, "I need a driver, and the controls are your size!"

"Fangmeyer, what the hell happened up there!?" Bogo questioned, "What's going on!?"

"It's a lot to explain…" he said, opening the doors to the rear seats of the LAPV, and continued to speak while he removed the body of the wolf that had been shot dead earlier, and scavenge his weapon and ammunition; "I'll fill you in with the details in my AAR if I ever get to write it… But the short version is basically: Fyodorov has converted the old Nighthowler serum into a gas and his plan is to release it on the whole city by blowing up Central Square with the several thousand pounds of explosives he has on that truck… and we have to stop him…"

"What!?" Bogo yelled in confusion, as Judy's jaw and ears both dropped in apprehension.

"I couldn't have made it any clearer Chief," Fang countered, still arming himself with the dead wolf's magazines and 40mm grenades for the M4 grenadier, "… all you need to know is we _have_ to stop that truck!"

Judy and Bogo were by any other definition: speechless... either at the complex severity of the situation or their comrade's fairly well summarised description of it… Fang wasn't going to guess, but their silence did allow him to continue-

Speaking directly to Judy;

"He's also got Nick hostage-"

"In a scruffy blue pick-up truck?" she asked instantly.

"Yea…"

Judy didn't need any words after that. She dropped the oversized assault rifle, knowing it was useless to her as she could barely pick it up, and limped rapidly over to the armoured car to take to the driver's seat, trying severely to fight the pain of her bullet wound.

She looked at the White Wolf as she managed to climb into the LAPV with seemingly little effort;

"Then let's go," she spoke confidently, "… I drive, you shoot?"

"That's the plan," Fang responded, climbing into the backseat, "… but that's all I have so far…"

Fang slammed the backseat door shut as Judy leaned to close her door-

"Hopps!" Bogo bellowed to her, approaching the vehicle at a rapid pace; "You're not going anywhere without this…"

He held out his hoof, offering Judy something she would undoubtedly need:

A small bandolier of magazines, and her own firearm: a Walther PPK pistol. The smaller weapon still needed to be modified for her smaller stature, but still offered the same lethality as any other 9mm gun despite the small capacity magazine.

"You're probably going to need it…" Bogo spoke restlessly.

With a mixed tingle of thrilled excitement and profound dread, Judy picked up the gun and placed the bandolier across her chest;

"Thanks Chief…"

"Get going, now!" Bogo ordered, speaking to the Rabbit and the Wolf, "I'll follow in the APC once this place is locked down!"

He slammed the door shut for her and stepped back, allowing Judy to focus on moving the car…

The engine was already running, and like Fang had said, she fit the controls perfectly; all she needed to do now was put it in gear and drive… only just realising what a task it would be without the full use of her right leg;

"You know, driving with only one working leg isn't gonna be easy," Judy spoke to Fang as she put her feet on the pedals and her paws on the steering wheel.

"Trust me…" Fang responded, cocking his rifle, "… you're not gonna need the brake…"

* * *

The LAPV's tyres shrieked against the road until they found the traction they needed as Judy (despite her current handicap) performed a perfect racing start… bringing the armoured car up to sufficient speed in pursuit of the convoy of armed criminals, with reckless determination to stop them…

And save Zootopia-

And save Nick.

…

It wouldn't be hard to follow them either… all Judy needed to do was follow the carnage…

* * *

 **A/N: Reminder: next chapter will be uploaded this Friday 10th March… so stay on the edge of that seat of yours ;)**

 **And also, before I forget as I think it's necessary; Congratulations to Zootopia for its win as Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars, and for its One Year Anniversary (even though it came out on the 25th March here in the UK) because that film is the reason we are all here :)**


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

 ** _'The Cop Killer – Part 2'_**

* * *

…

" _Dispatch to all cars, multiple vehicles escaping the Happytown Confinement Zone along South Cross Avenue, suspend all current tasks and divert to intercept. Civilians at risk, all units in the area respond immediately. Be advised, suspects are heavily armed and extremely dangerous, engage with caution-_ "

" _Mobile Command to all units, direct orders from Chief Bogo; full use of lethal force is authorised. Shoot to kill, repeat: shoot to kill,_ "

…

* * *

Sirens began to fill the air in the district of Happytown.

The only audible warning of the chaos to come.

Except for the rumble in the earth of the speeding armoured semi-truck and its armed escort.

Several police cars were now in pursuit, having seemingly appeared from nowhere down the many side streets the armed convoy had passed, and they were doing as ordered; firing on the truck with intent to stop it.

But they were well ill-equipped for this, only armed with semi-automatic pistols or shotguns. The semi-truck's makeshift steel armour plating effectively protected its volatile toxic cargo and its occupants, as the bullets and pellets just slammed into or ricocheted off the metal doing very little damage at all.

Roan was moving to climb into the cabin from the trailer; he just made it to the front end of the mounted shipping container, exiting through the opening made by one of the removed steel doors in anticipation that he would have to traverse the vehicle while it was moving. As soon as he exited the container into the gap between the cab and the trailer above the fifth wheel coupling, the wind started to ruffle his jet black fur, the sound of the police sirens and roaring combustion engines becoming much louder-

"We got cops…" Max shouted back to him through the cabin's rear window.

"Had cops all fu*king day," Roan mumbled, "Deal with them…"

The loudest siren and gunshots were coming from beside them; Roan peered round the side of the trailer and could see the one police car giving them the most grief on their left side; the faster vehicle was easily keeping up with its red and blue lights flashing erratically. The officer in the passenger seat of the ZPD cruiser was firing his pistol, precisely aiming towards the front of the cab, attempting to kill the Honey Badger driver.

Mitchell flinched when the truck's wing mirror took a bullet, subsequently shattering till there was barely a few shards of it left.

As he was glancing round the corner of the trailer, Roan saw the armed cop change his aim at him-

And pulled back just as several sparks erupted from the steel armour plating, the bullets having only just missed him…

Rather than trying to climb round into the cabin now at the chance he would get shot, Roan decided to stay where he was.

With a disgruntled expression… he un-holstered his grenade launcher, lifting it up to eject the expended casing for the shot he had used to free Madelyn from the prison van… and swiftly loaded another HE 40mm grenade.

He then swiftly peered back round the corner of the trailer, holding onto it tightly with his left paw, and raised his right arm to aim the launcher…

Upon seeing the weapon, the driver of the cop car attempted to swerve from the Panther's line of sight-

But Roan had already pulled the trigger, launching the grenade, flying through the air and striking the ground just as the police car drove over it…

And causing its fuel tank to rupture in a huge blast of orange flame, flipping the car and rolling till it came to a sudden stop… the crumbled wreck engulfed in flames, and the two officers undoubtedly perished among them.

Roan smirked at the result, and pulled back to reload his M320 with another high explosive grenade…

* * *

…

" _Z-225 is wrecked! Officers down! Repeat, Officers down!_ "

" _Dispatch really fu*ked us with this one…_ _They got some serious firepower!_ "

" _How the hell we gonna stop this thing!?_ "

" _The tyres… shoot the tyres!_ "

…

* * *

But it was only a waste of bullets as Roan had anticipated that obvious manoeuvre… equipping the armoured truck with reinforced tyres so they could still roll efficiently even if they had been deflated from being shot.

Nevertheless, the cops still tried:

Another police car blaring sirens and flashing lights was pulling up beside the semi-truck…

But unfortunately for them, before they could get close enough to kill him, Mitchell saw the approaching police cruiser in the right side wing mirror-

He swiftly reacted by turning the steering wheel, ramming the police car off the road and forcing it to mount the pavement where it careened straight into a tree, stopping abruptly when the front of vehicle crumpled into a heap.

The Honey Badger glanced quickly at the wing mirror, smirking at the reflection of his handiwork…

Mitchell quickly returned his attention to the road in front of him… his eyes falling upon a busy intersection;

"Crossroads ahead!" he yelled behind him, gaining the attention of the Panther through the rear window.

Roan looked through it, then proceeded to look round the driver side of the cabin for a better view, staring forward at the busy crossroads with little to no emotion on his face. There was at least twenty assorted vehicles in their way, waiting at the red lights, and many more crossing the perpendicular road;

"Ram them."

"That's a lot of traffic Roan-"

"I don't care!" the Panther growled, "You do _not_ stop this truck!"

…

The semi-truck's bellowing horn sounded deafeningly as a late warning to the busy junction…

Not that any of the occupants cared.

As well as pulling on the cord of the air horn, Mitchell simultaneously slammed hard on the accelerator, ploughing the rig into the back of the line of unsuspecting civilian vehicles… ramming them, flipping them, crushing them and ripping them apart as the truck tore through them in a mangled display of shearing metal, torn plastic and smashing glass… sparing no one and nothing that stood before the gargantuan vehicle.

Civilian mammals, male, female, predator and prey, young and old… they all took cover or fled in panic, some unlucky few being struck by the flipped and crashed vehicles being rammed by the armoured articulated lorry.

The street began to flow with blood, wailing with the screams of the wounded and dying. Puddles of spilt petrol and diesel ignited to turn the road into a fiery hellhole… an almost literal visual depiction of hell on earth.

And the truck continued forward, cleaving its way through the traffic to make way for its armed convoy… now slashing its way through the busy intersection, striking vehicles side on and ramming them away in a mangled wreck… it even ploughed straight through the side of a bus as it crossed the junction, slicing the weaker vehicle in half like a hot knife through butter with its mounted ram, flipping the two split sections of the bus onto its side as the ruptured fuel tank ignited the petrol and burst into searing orange flames.

…

* * *

…

" _Dispatch, send fire and ambulance crews to junction of South Cross Avenue and Jubilee Road… multiple traffic collisions and fires, civilians caught in crossfire… fatalities and injured!_ "

" _Ten four, Z-076,_ "

" _Motherfu*ker's just rammed them out the way!_ "

" _Dispatch we have multiple Officers down! Requesting aerial support now!_ "

" _That is a negative, Z-323… air support is grounded due to unsafe weather conditions…_ "

" _FU*K!_ "

" _Tyres are armoured! Bullet aren't doing anything!_ "

" _Catch up to the cab… kill the driver!_ "

…

* * *

Despite the vehicular destruction, ballistic peril and fiery chaos they were facing, the cops didn't give up… Those that managed to navigate the massacre at the intersection stayed in pursuit, yet were still at the mercy of the armoured big rig.

And they were dropping like flies…

…

Attempting to cut off the truck from ahead, two patrol cars emerged suddenly from one of the side roads-

But didn't even get chance to join the chase…

Mitchell immediately turned the wheel and swerved to intercept them; the forward mounted ram clipping the first car, flipping it on its side, and slamming into the second car… transforming the vehicle into a mangled wreck of metal and glass with two horrifically injured and trapped cops inside as the truck smashed it out of its way.

…

Another patrol car was pulling up beside the cab-

But they didn't get any further…

Climbing up to the roof hatch with the mounted minigun, Maisie pulled the pin on two frag grenades tied together with duct tape, letting the safety lever go on both and proceeded to cook them. She waited one and a half second before lobbing it at the pursuing police car, the deadly spheres detonating directly against the windscreen… and flaying the two officers in the vehicle with shards of glass and shrapnel, killing them instantly, and forcing their car to veer onto the pavement, crashing into and dismantling a bus stop before it slowly came to a halt.

…

Two more cars were approaching from the right side-

But soon became victims themselves…

Roan, armed with his Tar-21 rifle blew out the lead car's tyres with a burst of rounds from his weapon. Despite this, the driver of the cop car managed to stay in control, swerving into the side of the rig, trying futilely to ram the enormous vehicle off the road with no effect, but still managed to keep up with them-

Until Max leaned out of the cab window, aiming his large MGL and launching two grenades. Both the highly explosive projectiles slammed into the lead car, the first shattering the windscreen and the second passing right through it, killing the two officers and tearing the vehicle into shreds of metal as it stopped abruptly and burst into flames, leaving the second car no time to diverge as it collided into the rear of the flaming police cruiser-

Only for Roan to finish them off with his grenade launcher… firing his loaded HE grenade to make sure the second car was down for good… becoming quite convinced it wouldn't be moving again as it too, burst into flames… the two vehicles now merging into one mangled flaming wreckage.

…

And those pursuing police cars that the occupants on the truck didn't take care of, the armed convoy behind them certainly did… firing on them with rifles and machineguns which the lightly armoured police cruisers could take only a small brunt before succumbing to the ballistic barrage.

One by one they were torn apart, rammed off the road… the ill-fated officers inside them killed, mortally wounded, or at very least trapped inside their overturned and wrecked vehicles.

…

Roan had sought out to prove the ZPD had underestimated him… he had been proven right.

And, it was a bloody massacre…

* * *

Stuck inside the back of the scruffy blue pickup truck, Nick had been forced to watch the destructive vehicular carnage unfold… forced to watch officer after officer knocked down in action while in a valiant, yet fruitless effort to stop these psychopath criminals. It didn't matter that he didn't know any of them personally… they were on the same side as him, they all wore the same uniform as him- the same badge, they all did the same job as him…

And yet they died while he lived… unable to help them with his paws restrained, his muzzle constricted, and held at gunpoint…

And despite wanting to keep him alive so as to have his fun killing him very slowly, Roan had told the other mammals in the car to put a bullet in the Fox if he so much as struggled.

…

Nick cursed at himself… never mind what Roan had said when he and Fang had confronted him, Nick knew he or his Wolf comrade should have just shot the Panther dead there and then; it could have avoided all this bloodshed… And as far as Nick knew, Fang was still savage, and was the only other mammal who knew the details of Roan's plan and knew where he was… therefore, Nick assumed there was no chance anyone was coming to free him…

The ZPD had bigger problems than coming to his rescue.

…

There were three other mammals in the car with him; an arctic fox in the driver's seat, a bobcat in the passenger seat and a coyote in the seat behind the driver…

Nick knew had to do _something_ , he couldn't just sit and do nothing… and if he was going to get out of this, he needed to wait for the right moment.

There was still a chance: his mind was a blur with all his options, but if he could get a gun or get to the wheel of the pickup he could do something- anything… he didn't know what… but he knew he had to stop these terrorists, even if he was to only become riddled with bullets himself… a sacrifice he would rather not make-

But this was bigger than him now, this wasn't just himself staring near certain death in the face. Every mammal in Zootopia would be staring death in the face if Roan succeeded… everyone he knew: his family, his friends, his colleagues… the Bunny he had finally admitted to himself that he loved…

They were all in danger.

And Nick wasn't going to let any of them die from his mistake.

…

Making a quick eye only glance, Nick noticed the coyote was looking out the left side window… the arctic fox was fixed firmly on the road ahead, and the bobcat had his window down, preparing to shoot at one of the pursuing police cruisers with a loaded SMG…

None of them had their eyes on him.

So he went for it-

Leaping from his seat, Nick launched himself to attack the bobcat in front of him, attempting to steal his fully loaded UMP45… and hopefully spare the officers in the cop car from a sudden barrage of bullets.

But as Nick went to grab it, his restrained paws meant he missed grabbing the trigger, but he got a good hold on the weapon's stock… managing to yank the trigger free from the bobcat's paws.

The arctic fox driver merely moved away from the struggle in his fairly oversized seat, staying focussed on driving-

But the coyote sharing the backseat quickly responded to the Fox cop's sudden struggle…

Reaching over, he grabbed Nick's upper left arm, and clamped a paw harshly round the base of his tail, digging his claws marginally into the Fox's skin, trying to yank him away from the front seat.

Nick growled at coyote's incisions, stifled behind the steel bars of the muzzle clamped around his snout… but he braved the pain, and lifted a leg to kick the larger canine away-

But his foot missed as the coyote let go of his tail, and leaned further forward to change his grip on the Fox, now clinching round the ruff of his neck, again digging in his claws.

The bobcat was keeping a firm grip on the SMG the Fox cop was trying to steal from him, preventing Nick from getting a better grip on it.

During the scuffle, in desperation, Nick tried to reach for the trigger again-

But it backfired majorly…

As he loosened his grip on the weapon's stock so as to grab the trigger, Nick missed his mark as the bobcat swiftly yanked it away from his grasp…

And responded by smacking him away with the butt of the gun, striking Nick directly against his forehead.

The impact was harsh, putting Nick in a light daze as the coyote pulled him back, throwing him back into his seat, and proceeded to put him back in his place as an obedient hostage when he lifted his own pistol… and ended the scuffle with a brutal pistol whip that struck Nick directly in his left eye, the force of it making his head slam against the window…

Just in time to see the cops he'd tried to save take the bullets from the bobcat's UMP through their window… their windscreen splattered with blood, the car swerving and crashing… and coming to an abrupt halt…

* * *

…

They were clear now… no more sirens and blaring red/blue lights were following them as the armoured semi-truck rammed through another bout of traffic… now reaching the roundabout for the motorway junction.

With a small shift of the steering wheel, they turned up the slip road that merged onto the raised roadway of the Zootopia Loop: the mammalian city's brand new Inter-District highway… a four lane road in either direction, rising above and burrowing below, circling the entire city in one massive grey ribbon of (mostly) uninterrupted high speed traffic- for a small price, as several tolling stations had been installed along the highway for the purpose of managing traffic flow in extreme circumstances that would cause a gridlock.

Had Roan attempted his audacious charge to Central Square on Zootopia's normal past-age road network, the truck would be bogged down and lose its much needed speed on narrow streets, tight turns and more lines of traffic, moving or unmoving, that would have got in their way…

But the finished construction of The Loop changed all that, and due to the incoming superstorm and the newness of the road itself meant there was no traffic on it-

So as the semi rolled onto the raised motorway, Mitchell put his foot down… accelerating the armoured rig as fast as it would go despite being weighed down by its trailer, its heavy armour plating and the weighty volatile toxic cargo inside.

…

Four lanes of fresh, new asphalt.

All to themselves, with no traffic.

No Police.

…

It was as if the city itself was inviting its own destruction.

…

Roan looked behind him to see his armed convoy following them; more had joined since they had turned onto the motorway, Roan having not kept all his assets within his headquarters like he said. It was a crude and random assortment of vehicles, the smallest being a single dune buggy stolen from Sahara Square, modified with thicker protective bodywork, and the largest being another 18 wheeler big rig, though this one was a flat fronted tanker truck, towing behind it a trailer full of petrol to use as a rolling gas station, and to start fires throughout the city once the cerulean mist had taken over…

With no threat of any pursuing cops, Roan continued his excursion to the cab, climbing round the right side, holding firmly to the welded on steel handle bars he had added in expectation for having to perform some sort of extra vehicular activity. As he reached the front, Maisie opened the passenger side door to allow him to climb straight in;

"Nice driving…" Roan complemented the Honey Badger as he positioned himself in his seat.

"Nice shooting," Mitchell returned the compliment.

"Free and clear to Savanna Central now," Maisie stated.

"And the beginning of a new era…" Roan extolled, "… I've been waiting a long time for this day… and _no-one_ is going to take it away from me…"

…

Roan sat back in his seat, smiling to himself, gloating in his victory… having achieved it with an improvised contingency plan he had been forced to scramble the finals parts together in just the last few hours of this morning… and with a shear amount of luck.

Not everything had gone perfectly…

But it went exactly the way he wanted it to.

He had taken on the superior might of Zootopia's police force…

And won.

…

He was content… barely hiding his smug and sinister smile across his muzzle, holding his head up high against the headrest of his seat to sit back… and relax.

Nothing could stop them now.

…

* * *

Nick was still dazed from the several blows to his head…

He'd been hit in the head so many times today he'd lost count… but for some reason, those most recent ones had hurt the most.

He was currently clutching his tied together paws to his face. It was the pistol whip that had done the most damage. His left eye was slightly swollen and bloodshot with an obvious black eye bruise forming under his fur considering how much it hurt. A nasty gash had been torn open to the side of his eye socket and partially beneath his brow… and the earlier closed wound on his left cheek from the machete had been reopened, both grazes now bleeding further into his fur.

Nick felt the pain from his injuries more than ever now, and not just from the ones he'd only just sustained… but all of them. The adrenaline he had been fuelled with since the start of the day had worn off, negating any natural suppressive painkiller effects. Nick could feel every single place he had been cut, punched or kicked, throbbing with pain.

He tried to fight it, holding back tears, gritting his teeth, keeping a stiff upper lip-

But his pain wasn't just physical, it was also mental; atop of everything he regretted, blaming himself that all this had happened… the psychological trauma he was feeling with the muzzle constricting his mouth rid him of any coherent thought.

…

He had tried to fight it, all of it…

But there was only so much one Fox could take.

Nick had lost all hope.

…

There was no point resisting now.

The bad guys had won.

And he knew, he wasn't getting out of this alive.

…

Nicholas Wilde stared blankly out the window of the pickup truck, focussing on the speeding roadway, silently accepting his fate… his imminent doom and that of the imperfect city he called home-

…

And then something caught his attention.

…

He saw it, with a keen eye despite his partially impaired vision… making a short glimpse into the pickup's wing mirror as he stared out the window:

A single vehicle stood out among the rest.

An armoured LAPV at the back of the convoy; Nick recognised it from the line of vehicles he had seen back at the construction site before he was forced into this one…

And it was quickly approaching… swerving between the mass of assorted vehicles in the convoy.

…

Nick was sure he was hallucinating… his mind playing a cruel trick to give him some sense of false hope.

However… Nick knew only one mammal who drove like that: so good, it looked terrible.

But it couldn't be her… could it?

…

The armoured car was gaining fast, confirming Nick's suspicions when he got a closer look as it grew bigger in the wing mirror-

And he had his glimmer of hope…

In the form of a duo of long black tipped grey ears behind the wheel of that car, and luminous violet eyes.

…

Nick almost didn't believe it-

It was Judy behind the wheel.

She obviously had her foot slammed down on the throttle, closing the gap and coming up right behind the pickup…

And she wasn't slowing down.

…

* * *

…

It hadn't been hard to follow the armoured truck considering the destruction it had left in its wake, and every wrecked vehicle, police or civilian they had passed, had only furthered both Judy and Fang's fury and determination.

They were now right behind them, pursuing down the raised roadway of the Inter-District Loop, managing to catch up to them….

The convoy of criminals was completely oblivious… they recognised the car too, paying no attention to who was actually inside… thinking it was one of their own-

…

"You ready?" Fang asked the Bunny, his grenadier rifle loaded and set.

"Are you?" Judy responded confidently, not taking her eyes off the road ahead.

Fang just smiled at her tenacity, and moved to underneath the rooftop hatch…

While Judy controlled the car, weaving in and between the convoy of vehicles…

Coming right up behind the scruffy blue pickup truck-

* * *

Nick knew exactly what she was going to do…

He dropped his paws to his lap, pushed back into his seat, and turned his head ever so slightly to make an almost sadistically cunning smirk behind his constrictive muzzle to the coyote in the other seat.

…

"What's so funny cop?" the coyote asked nastily.

…

Nick replied mockingly;

"Your driver doesn't check his mirrors…"

As he braced for impact-


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hello everybody! Right now I'm quite anxious and excited about this next chapter, because I had been looking forward to writing it and uploading it for a LONG time, almost ever since I started uploading back in August… and it was a pain in the ass to write so I'm not entirely sure if I'm happy with it, and same can said or the next few chapters too, so I would love to get some feedback. Also, for those who haven't guessed by now, the one other film which gave me a tonne of inspiration for this part of the story is indeed, _Mad Max: Fury Road_ … so if you know that film, you can expect something a little more than just an average car chase ;) … And for some suggestive listening, type: ' _Mad Max: Fury Road Soundtrack – Brothers in Arms_ ' into YouTube and listen to it. Sets the atmosphere for this chapter perfectly, not only because it shares the same title as the track, but because I practically wrote this chapter to fit this music… even though it doesn't fit, unless you can read over 6700 words in 6 minutes (and bravo if you can!).**

 **Also, just some brief responses to clarify some things from last week's reviews:**

 **The British spelling of tires is with a 'y' as: tyres. 'Tires' is the correct spelling in USA and Canada, but every other English speaking country spells it as 'Tyres'… even though both can be used and they mean the same thing anyway.**

 **To make a counter point about the quantity of ZPD Officers: I personally figured that considering the size of Zootopia, it is a megacity, i.e. a population over 10 million, and I further think in my headcanon that considering the varied species and sizes of mammal, Zootopia's population is far above even that… and therefore would have a Police Force similar in size to that of the NYPD in New York or the Metropolitan Police in London to name a couple, both of which have over 30,000 uniform police officers. So no, I haven't killed almost every cop in Zootopia, but I did just kill off quite a few… and if that made you depressed or angered to read those last two chapters… GOOD! It was meant to, because it'll make these next few chapters all that more sweeter! :D**

 **And as for whether Nick is going to fight Roan… that remains to be seen. He's still got a lot of other predators to go through first.**

 **Ok, I'm done talking now… but once again, thank you all of you wonderful readers! And now I bring you:**

* * *

Chapter 24

 ** _'Brothers in Arms'_**

* * *

"What's so funny cop?" the coyote asked nastily.

…

Nick replied mockingly;

"Your driver doesn't check his mirrors…"

As he braced for impact…

* * *

There was a short sound of an over-revving engine-

And suddenly the whole pickup truck was shunted violently from behind, throwing all the occupants forwards in their seats…

Except one.

Nick knew the brunt was coming, so he prepared himself, and took the chance Judy had given him to fight back… and this time with much more ferocity than he had done barely a minute ago-

Launching from his seat, he attacked the coyote first, wrapping his arms around the larger canine's neck, and using his zip tie pawcuffs to strangle him maliciously.

The arctic fox in the driver seat was wrestling frantically at the steering wheel trying to maintain control of the car…

While the bobcat in the front seat turned to face the scuffle behind them, after composing himself from the sudden jolt.

As Nick had the coyote constricted around his neck with the sharp thin plasti-cuff digging into the canine's throat… he noticed the bobcat spin around in his seat and raise his UMP45 at the Fox to cut his struggle ultimately short…

But he didn't get the chance.

Nick already reacted before the bobcat took a solid aim; he slid down on the seat, simultaneously dragging the coyote with him and kicking the barrel of the bobcat's firearm upwards as the feline pulled the trigger-

Nick had kicked the weapon hard, making the bobcat fire into the ceiling of the car and shatter the glazed sunroof into hundreds of crystalline shards that rained down on the single cop and three criminals, now littering the inside of the vehicle…

* * *

As soon as Judy had rammed the pickup in front, Fang opened the LAPV's rooftop gunner hatch with a rush, and popped up out enough so he could aim his weapon, startling the few mammals in the other cars around them at his sudden appearance…

Fang didn't relent; with a scowl on his muzzle he aimed directly at the 4 door saloon beside his and Judy's armoured car-

The armed criminals in the vehicle barely had time to notice the blood covered White Wolf aiming at them before he started firing wildly…

Fang pulled hard on the trigger, sending the whole 30 round magazine of 5.56mm bullets to cut through the car, spraying and shattering the windows and tearing straight through the unarmoured bodywork… Fang's stream of supersonic lead shredded the canopy of the vehicle, killing its occupants as the inside became splattered with their blood.

The driver had clearly been shot dead with his foot pressed on the accelerator as the car was still moving forward at speed. That was until it revealed the driver had also slumped over the steering wheel and had obviously fell to the right, as the car turned sharply and rammed the concrete barrier at the edge of the elevated roadway before overturning and tearing itself to pieces-

One vehicle down… and a lot more to go…

* * *

In the driver's seat, Judy had loosened her foot off the accelerator after ramming the scruffy blue pickup with her partner inside…

Already this was going to the top of the list as one of the most dangerous and craziest situations they had been in as partner cops.

Though her act of road rage had clearly worked, and given Nick his chance to free himself as she could see through the rear window that he was now in the middle of a fight in the back of the pickup.

…

She feared for him…

But at that moment she had to worry more about herself-

As a flurry of bullets from dual mounted M240 machineguns on the back of another pickup, (effectively turning it into a technical) started striking the side of their armoured car…

The LAPV's protective armour plating prevented any of the bullets from penetrating their vehicle, but the bullet resistant glass wouldn't last as long.

And her White Wolf gunner was still exposed whenever he had to shoot…

…

So Judy swiftly responded;

With an angered growl that would put any predator to shame, she sharply turned the steering wheel to the left, ramming the side of the 4x4-

Causing it to plough into the central concrete divider of the highway… the vehicle overturned at 90mph practically tearing it and its occupants apart and strewn onto the roadway in a bloody mess of fractured metal-

* * *

The sudden sideways jolt of the vehicle made Fang retreat down from the roof hatch, where he turned around to see the result of Judy's mad driving… there was likely to be a lot of those harsh jolts with her at the wheel, and he had to make sure he was ready for them.

As he was ducked down he took the chance to reload with a fresh magazine and quickly popped back into his gunner position…

Bullets started striking their vehicle from the cars behind… but Fang was protected- using the flipped open roof hatch as an effective slab of cover as it too, like the rest of the car, was armour plated…

And he was silently grateful that Mchorn had charged into this vehicle to commandeer it rather than any of the others… he and Judy wouldn't have got any further than now considering how many bullets were hitting their vehicle, denting into the plated aluminium armour…

It was protecting him and his mad Rabbit driver for now, but it wouldn't last under this much punishment.

And Fang needed to change that.

…

He took aim at another of the following cars-

Instantly pulling the trigger to strike the front windscreen…

But the rounds didn't break through it… clearly this was one of convoy's vehicles that had been modified with some form of bullet proofing.

It was a fairly large SUV, and was pulling up closer beside them as Fang changed his aim to the front tyres, managing to puncture through and deflate them as he fired again… but it didn't stop the assault…

Fang ducked down into the protection of his and Judy's armoured car…seeing the SUV through the bullet resistant glass until the window became sprayed with shattering impact marks… but the glass still held.

"SUV, right side!" Fang called to Judy in the driver's seat, easily gaining her attention.

She saw it in the wing mirror-

And dealt with it.

Judy turned the steering wheel sharply to the right, ramming the front of the vehicle with enough force it caused its deflated tyre to shred itself from the wheel rims, immediately losing traction and began swerving out of control…

It narrowly missed ramming into them until Judy steered out of its path-

And gave enough space between the vehicles for Fang to finish it off:

He ascended back into his gunner position… now aiming directly at the out of control SUV…

Having rarely used grenade launchers in SWAT work, he was less confident at using them… but nevertheless, Fang kept his composure and switched his trigger finger in a split second, still aiming his rifle, or more specifically, its under-barrel M203 grenade launcher.

He pulled the trigger, launching the 40mm HE grenade that was preloaded…

It struck the vehicle directly on its side, exploding on impact and blasting away some of the body work… which became further torn off as the car overturned and stripped itself clean-

In a divine spectacle of automotive carnage.

…

One more out of the fight.

…

* * *

As soon as he heard the gunfire and following sound of crashing cars, Roan released his head from its raised position against the headrest from his gloating. He hastily leaned forward to look into the right side wing mirror…

And scowled at the sight in the reflection.

To be sure it was really happening, he looked back through the open passenger window, seeing for his own eyes…

…

Now he was angry, having believed he'd won-

Apparently it wasn't going to be that easy.

He instantly turned to Mitchell, ordering;

"Step on it!"

The Honey Badger took a look in the left wing mirror, frowning when he remembered the Police had shot it out, leaving only a single tiny shard to reflect the view behind.

Instead, he looked through passenger side mirror to see exactly what Roan had seen.

…

He reacted unquestionably, applying more pressure to the accelerator before changing up a gear…

The sound of the armoured rig's engine revving hard was overbearing… it was definitely stressed;

"Gonna struggle getting over a hundred with this load," Mitchell announced.

"Just as long as we stay ahead of them," Roan mumbled.

…

The Panther didn't take his eye of the reflection in the wing mirror, seeing another car ripped to shreds as it overturned on the highway, but the view was gradually getting smaller…

The slight increase in speed, little as it was, was now increasing the gap between them and the chaos behind…

* * *

Inside the pickup truck, the Fox's attempt to escape was still in full assault.

Nick still had the coyote restrained around his neck when the bobcat attempted to raise his weapon at him again…

Only for Nick to kick the weapon away- this time even harder so that the weapon flew from the feline's paws-

And then Nick proceeded to kick at him again, this time directly in the underside of the bobcat's jaw, all while keeping the coyote restrained around his neck.

Which was no easy task…

He was fidgeting hard against him, trying to pull the sharp plastic from his neck.

But Nick was pulling all his weight down on it… it was the only thing keeping the coyote from breaking free… and he was pulling on it so much that the thin plastic zip tie was cutting into the coyote's neck, drawing a small amount of blood… but was simultaneously also digging painfully further into Nick's wrists, also drawing a small amount of blood.

It wasn't long till eventually the coyote found that strength to fight on, and managed to wriggle away enough so that Nick's grip loosened-

Only for him to regain it again… though this time he had caught the surprisingly sharp zip tie directly in the coyote's mouth, which Nick had done on purpose.

If the larger canine wanted to be free from the Fox's malicious grapple this time…

He would have to actually free the Fox from his restraints, and bite through them.

…

As Nick had hoped for… barely a few seconds later, that's exactly what happened:

…

He suddenly felt the pressure release from his wrists-

The coyote had bitten through his plasti-cuffs…

Now Nick was free… but so was the coyote.

The larger canine immediately reached for his pistol, pulling it directly from his holster-

But Nick grabbed onto it too, now with nothing restricting his movement…

In the scuffle for the firearm, both the paws of the Fox and the coyote fumbled around for the trigger.

But unlike before… this time Nick found it first…

And proceeded to waste the ammunition-

Although it also ended up firing blindly in the car; the bobcat and the arctic fox in the two front seats ducked away as the shots rang through the interior as Nick repeatedly tapped the trigger. The bobcat came out unscathed, but some of the shots from the Fox and coyote's struggle were fired directly at the driver's seat… the bullets passing straight through the upholstery and striking the arctic fox driver through his back with a final bullet to the back of his head… splattering the windscreen with his blood and brain matter.

The dead fox slumped onto the steering wheel, subsequently leaning on the horn as the low pitched whine sounded on the outside of the car.

The bobcat immediately dived for the wheel, pushing his dead comrade out of the way to maintain control of the pickup truck… including switching on the cruise control to negate the need to manage the pedals.

In the back seat Nick had fully emptied the coyote's pistol of all its ammunition, both of them now dropping the empty firearm-

The coyote instantly lifted his right elbow to strike backwards at the Fox, hitting Nick directly in the muzzle…

Although he barely registered it, as the steel bars wrapped around his snout absorbed much of the brunt… one thought went through Nick's head that how ironic it was one of the things he hated most in this world was proving to be somewhat useful to him-

His thought was interrupted, as in their half sitting half lying down position on the rear seats, the coyote had suddenly spun around to throw a punch at him…

Nick pushed the coyote's swinging arm up, making the punch fly past him- enough so that the larger canine's paw struck the rear window, causing a crack to appear and making him flinch from hitting something much more solid than Fox he was aiming for.

Nick took the coyote's flinch to his advantage, lifting his left knee up to strike the canine in the groin and simultaneously kicking him off him with his other foot.

That gave him enough time…

Picking up the coyote's dropped firearm: a P99 with its slide retracted to indicate it was empty… Nick grasped onto barrel firmly, having no intention to shoot it but instead to use it as an improvised club-

He struck the coyote on his forehead, forcing him down again, adding to his time limit.

Now Nick turned to the cracked rear window-

His only escape route…

And began striking it with the improvised pistol hammer until the glass smashed into hundreds of crystalline shards.

Nick dropped the pistol through the window, not needing it anymore, and made use of his escape, climbing through the broken glass, cutting himself in places as he fell into the empty truck bed.

Without a falter in his movement, he desperately lifted his paws to his head to rid him of his caged muzzle… It wasn't that tightly wrapped around his head, but still forced the Fox to annoyingly fold his ears upwards as he dragged it off without much of a hassle… dropping the steel caged muzzle to the truck bed-

And Nick opened his jaw to massage it a moment, feeling the freedom.

…

He looked up at the LAPV behind the pickup- seeing Judy in the driver's seat, giving all the confidence he needed.

But to continue his escape, Nick knew he would have to jump across to them…

From one moving vehicle to another-

At near enough 90 MPH?

…

It was suicide.

…

Nick saw Judy look at him, their eyes locking for a moment-

Till hers suddenly grew wider with worry… the same moment Nick heard something else thump into the back of the truck, making him turn to face whoever it was-

It was the coyote, who immediately grabbed Nick by the collar of his SWAT gear before he had chance to react, flinging him around and ramming his head against the frame of the broken rear window, making several cuts from the shattered glass…

* * *

Miles behind at the remains of Checkpoint Alpha, the area was now locked down enough despite the carnage and chaos and countless police officers that had been killed in the attack…

If Roan Fyodorov's plan was to break the ZPD's moral by attacking them directly… he definitely had succeeded.

Only the strongest willed were still doing their job unquestionably…

…

Like the Chief of Police himself.

…

Bogo stormed into the MCC, still bleeding from the bullet wound in his shoulder, and still being completely unfazed by it. Upon entering, he spoke directly to the three technicians inside;

"Where are they now?"

"ZTA's live feed is just coming through now…" the roe deer announced.

She the pig and the serval didn't taking their eyes off the live feed from the Zootopia Transit Authority's traffic cameras, placed along the entire length of the Inter-District Loop… it didn't take much searching to find the convoy of armed criminals;

"Found them!" the serval yelled, "Camera 276, eastbound carriageway,"

Bogo peered at the screen, seeing through it the 90mph roadway battle;

"Contact Precinct One… have them evacuate Central Square and lock it down… if all else fails we can stop them there,"

"On it sir," the pig responded.

Bogo continued as he turned back outside; "I'm taking the APC… I want updates every minute!"

"Roger that," the serval responded, "… though you're gonna have to put your foot down to catch up Chief… they're about five miles ahead!"

"Noted," Bogo yelled back before he slammed shut the heavy door of the Armoured Personnel Carrier, keying the ignition and pulling away with burst of tyre smoke as the engine roared to life…

…

* * *

A row of bright flashes emanated from one of the highway's overhead signs as the entire line of speed cameras captured the current scene of the roadway battle…

…

Judy had a front row seat to see Nick's continued struggle against his coyote captor, witnessing everything while she was fretting not being able to do anything else to help him…

Because bullets were still striking her and Fang's vehicle.

The Wolf still dared the pop up through the roof hatch to fire his rifle and attached grenade launcher, having blasted away another pursuing vehicle... but every single time he was shoved back down by suppressive gunfire… and she was consistently checking the mirrors, ramming away any vehicle that came too close to them.

But Judy still feared for the wellbeing of her partner in the car in front… and both she and Fang were starting to think they had bitten off more than they could chew…

They were outnumbered.

Outgunned…

And the convoy of armed terrorists were running rings around them…

* * *

The coyote still had Nick pinned against the broken rear window… the shards of glass now cutting into his already bleeding wounds on his face and muzzle.

He could see into the car; the bobcat was still at the steering wheel, maintaining control of the vehicle with the dead arctic fox slumped beside him.

Proceeding to free himself… Nick shoved his right elbow into the coyote's chest, winding him instantly, and continued to parry against the canid with a left uppercut to the stomach and an immediate right hook against the snout as he turned to face the larger canine…

He took the hits hard.

But as Nick went for another, the coyote hit back just as hard… blocking the Fox's punch and throwing his own to Nick's muzzle… planting him back against the broken rear window.

The hit dazed him for a moment-

Till Nick felt the coyote's paws clasp around his throat and snarled;

"How do you like getting strangled!? HUH!?"

He suffered enough of that today he was somewhat used to it… but it just made him madder. Nick growled savagely in response as he lifted his legs up and kicked the coyote backwards…

Both of them falling onto the bed of the truck-

* * *

On their left side, another modified car… this one a convertible with another mounted LMG. It was fast pulling up beside their vehicle…

Aiming quickly, Fang took a pot shot with his grenade launcher-

"Shi*t!" he yelled as he flinched from the burst of bullets directed at him, striking against the flipped open roof hatch and making sparks fly as the rounds ricocheted, consequently making his launched grenade miss by a mile…

Waiting a moment before returning, Fang took another chance as he aimed round the roof hatch again… firing precisely…

A few quickly well-placed shots and he managed to kill the enemy gunner.

But the hostile car was still moving, as Fang noticed when he retreated down to reload safely… the opposing vehicle was attempting (uselessly) to pit them by ramming their rear bumper;

"Convertible, left side!" Fang told the Bunny driver.

…

Judy glanced at the left mirror…

Immediately pressing on the accelerator and turning to the left to cut in front of the pursuing car.

She then gently pressed the brake, startling the driver of the convertible by making them rear end her and Fang's much tougher vehicle… following by pressing back on the accelerator, still juggling the peddles with her good left leg.

"Hit them now!" Judy yelled at the Wolf.

Fang complied… with a fully loaded magazine he re-ascended out the roof hatch, peering round the open slab of armour plating to spray his ammunition at the two mammals left in the car…

The mammal in the driver's seat attempted to stomp on the brake, but he had no time as the open roof provided no protection as they took all of the Wolf cop's bullets…

Their roofless (and now driverless) car slowed to a halt as the armoured LAPV pressed on.

…

One more car down-

* * *

Nick and the coyote simultaneously stood up to face each other… not risking standing up fully on their shaky duelling platform of the truck bed as the rushing wind made it difficult to stand…

The coyote didn't tower much taller than Nick… and he certainly didn't wait for the Fox to compose himself before he lunged at him-

Nick found himself being slammed against the truck canopy again, lightly disorienting him before the coyote attempted to punch him in the muzzle-

But Nick dodged the punch, the coyote striking the vehicle's metallic bodywork instead… once again recoiling from the harsh impact, which Nick used to his advantage…

He kicked the coyote's right leg, forcing the canine to fall slightly then grabbed him by the shoulders and moved to his side before slamming the coyote directly against the broken rear window frame-

Nick now being to one to pin the other against the fragmented glass, the shards now cutting into the coyote's face and muzzle.

But suddenly he pushed Nick's arms away, pulled himself up, twisted round and tackled the Fox to the truck bed harshly, landing on top of him.

Nick struggled as the coyote pinned him there… attempting to strangle him again-

But Nick had had quite enough of being strangled today…

As a risky but rewarding manoeuvre, he lifted his head up abruptly to head-butt the coyote in the muzzle… then, using the larger canine's wince to his advantage, Nick pushed him over with all his strength-

Now Nick was the one pinning the coyote on the floor of the pickup bed… and in return, began to throttle him mercilessly-

* * *

A single little modified dune buggy came speeding through the assortment of cars, driven by a fennec fox and another in a mounted back seat… approaching on their right side.

Seeing it through the rear window of their armoured pickup, Fang almost laughed at it… thinking it would be easy to deal with…

He popped back out of the roof hatch, aiming his rifle at the buggy-

But immediately ducked back down when a torrent of searing flames was directed at him;

"AH!- Motherfu*ker!" he yelled as he patted down his singed fur.

"Do you really have to swear that much?" Judy rebuked.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Fang questioned whether she was actually being serious, going on to explain why his profanity was necessary; "Those damn fennecs have a fu*king flamethrower!"

…

Judy looked in the mirror…

And indeed they did have a flamethrower, obviously a crude homemade one as it didn't look well finished.

Judy turned the steering wheel sharply to the right intending to ram the tiny vehicle away…

But the fennec's modified dune buggy was a lot more agile than her vehicle, and they pulled away faster, dropping speed for another vehicle to take position:

A 10 wheeler towing rig was pulling up beside them, the shooter in the passenger seat refusing to relent firing at Judy's window, peppering the armoured glass with shattered impact marks…

Every impact made Judy cringe into her seat… she wasn't sure how much longer that bullet resistant glass would hold out-

* * *

Nick was still strangling the coyote, hoping he would give in soon-

So he was ill-prepared for the canine's countermove…

While the coyote was trying to pry the Fox's paws from his throat, he had lifted his legs up… promptly kneeing the Fox over him, whilst simultaneously moving his paws to the cop's shoulders and throwing him away.

Nick was thrown right over the coyote's head, consequently freeing the larger canine.

…

But that was the least of his troubles…

As Nick was thrown, he continued forwards till he collided hard against the pickup's tailgate-

Which fell down as he hit it… catching Nick completely off guard as he desperately clawed onto whatever he could to stop himself falling- finding nothing in the split second he had, and frantically dug his claws into the steel of the truck bed…

Nick now finding himself dangling from the back of the tailgate… hovering precariously above the speeding roadway-

* * *

Nick's sudden perilous situation caught Judy's attention in an instant.

Looking, even through the bullet ridden protective glass of her driver window, she could see him hanging helplessly from the back of the scruffy blue pickup truck… and there was nothing for him to push, pull or drag himself up with…

* * *

…

As he was desperately trying to pull himself up, Nick looked to his right…

Seeing Judy in the LAPV watching him with worried eyes.

One thought popped into his head… that if this was how it ended for him, at least he got to see her one last time-

* * *

No.

Judy wasn't going to let it end like this.

…

She wasn't just going to watch.

…

She wasn't going to let Nick die.

…

Not while there was something she could do about it.

She wouldn't give up.

She wouldn't give up on him, and he wouldn't give up on her… Like the two of them had been since they started working together only those short three years ago, very little time after they had first met:

Partners.

Best friends.

Brothers in arms.

…

Two mammal's against the world…

Two mammals to save the world.

…

She had his back.

And he had hers.

…

So like what she had wanted to do all day, what she had practically begged Bogo to let her do while she was forced to stay back, away from the danger… injured and helpless, filled with despair that she couldn't be by his side, thinking she had lost him already…

Judy finally helped him:

* * *

As more bullets impacted her window, she swerved sharply to the left… ramming into the side of the 10 wheeler tow truck shooting at her and Fang's vehicle…

Behind her, it led for one of the mammals, a tiger, on the back of the tow truck to jump to their armoured vehicle… startling Fang back into the car as the feline tried to claw at him… Although he promptly ended that when he swapped briefly to the KSG shotgun he still had from earlier… and shot the tiger directly in the face, the feline falling from their vehicle onto the speeding roadway…

The muzzle of the passenger shooter's gun broke through Judy's side window as she rammed it… the severely weakened glass finally failing from the direct impact as the criminal's arm coming through with his submachinegun raised-

But Judy dodged the barrel as it came in… and letting go of the steering wheel, she raised her left arm… bringing her elbow right down with all her strength onto the arm of the maned wolf that had his limb stretched before her, breaking the canine's bone with a brutal crack.

She then grabbed the MP5 the wolf was holding, dragging it from his paws to throw into the passenger foot well…

She still wasn't done-

Judy pulled out her PPK pistol, aiming through the window and fired all but one bullet of her magazine into the front of the tow truck, killing the wolf in the instant.

Having dealt with that, she turned the wheel to the left, whilst simultaneously juggling her pistol and the steering wheel as she swapped to aim with her left paw back through her window at the blue pickup truck…

Judy fired her last bullet- planting it into the shoulder of the coyote to halt any attempt to throw Nick from the back of the truck; she then focussed on moving the car into position, returning to directly behind the pickup…

…

Nick knew exactly what she was doing…

Giving him exactly what he needed:

He smirked as his dangling feet soon landed on the metallic front bumper of the LAPV… giving him the necessary step to push himself up.

With the help from Judy's leg-up, Nick immediately found his feet back in the bed of the pickup truck and charged at the coyote as he grimaced from his gunshot wound… Nick tackled him against the back of the truck canopy, forcing him against it harshly.

He didn't relent, the coyote was dazed… he had his chance, he was going to use it:

Reaching down, Nick picked up the caged steel muzzle that had previously encased his snout, now encasing it around his right paw to use the crude restraint as an improvised knuckle duster…

He began punching the coyote repeatedly, and mercilessly… not stopping till blood was drawn from his punches and the larger canine was induced into unconsciousness, dropping lifelessly into the back of the truck-

Just in time for Nick to see the bobcat had abandoned the steering wheel; he had climbed out the truck's sunroof, and was once again aiming his submachinegun at the Fox-

Suddenly the bobcat flinched as a bullet struck his shoulder…

Nick glanced back to see the White Wolf through the roof hatch of the LAPV, aiming his carbine-

His other brother in arms.

And he too had given Nick exactly what he needed.

Hurling himself at the bobcat, Nick climbed to the roof of the pickup, immediately grabbing the feline by the collar before forcing his head brutally against the roof of the car, knocking the already pained bobcat out cold to fall inside the truck canopy… and proceeding to take his weapon to use himself…

He looked back to see Fang had dropped back inside the LAPV and Judy flinching- trying not to get shot through her now broken driver side window as the remaining mammals on the 10 wheeler tow truck pelted their car with every bullet they had.

Nick had to stop that-

…

Wielding the bobcat's UMP45, he aimed at the tow truck's front tyres… firing into them what remained of the magazine, not relenting from the trigger till the rubber rings burst from the ballistic barrage, knocking the rig unstable…

His two comrades swiftly took the chance he had given them:

Judy followed up Nick's attack by turning hard on the steering wheel… ramming the front side of the tow truck again, forcing it to swerve side to side and lose speed to fall behind them on the roadway…

Then Fang finished it off, with another shot from his grenade launcher, striking the vehicle directly in its wheel arch, blasting the front axle to pieces and making it overturn front first and flip into the air as it stopped abruptly, ripping itself apart as it was torn asunder against the asphalt with its wreckage strewn across the speeding roadway in another spectacle of automotive carnage.

…

That gave them their window.

…

After Judy checked her mirror to witness the tow truck's destruction, she turned her attention forward… noticing a slight turn in the road ahead; she slammed on the accelerator to pull up beside the pickup truck.

As the friendly LAPV pulled up beside them, Nick glanced behind him quickly to see the mild turn in the roadway ahead… which was dire for him as his vehicle now had no driver- no one steering to follow the path of the road.

He looked back at the armoured car-

"JUMP!" Fang yelled to him.

And so he did… positioning himself on the edge of the roof, Nick leapt towards his colleague's vehicle over the speeding asphalt beneath him, just the moment the pickup struck the concrete barricade at the edge of the highway… and like the other vehicles that had overturned at this speed, tore itself to pieces…

He landed hard against the bullet ridden armour plating of the LAPV, scraping his claws against it to find traction… something- anything to grab onto.

Until he slipped…

For sure Nick thought that was game over-

Till a blood stained white paw clasped onto his arm as Fang stopped him from falling to his death…

Dangling from the side, the front passenger door opened suddenly as Judy had momentarily abandoned the controls to quickly lean over and open it for her partner… and Fang swung the Fox inside.

As he let go, Nick grabbed onto the interior handle with a sound grip on the car, and climbed inside himself, shut the door… and finding himself in his usual spot:

…

In the passenger seat, next to Judy.

…

He turned to face her as she took back control of the car-

She turned to face him-

And both smiled…

A warm smile that only the closest of companions could share.

…

"Good day Slick?" Judy asked comically, turning her attention back to the road.

"Naaa Carrots…" Nick responded in the same tone, "… mediocre…"

He reached down to the foot well, picking up the MP5 Judy had grabbed from the tow truck to check its ammunition, just as the White Wolf in the rear seat descended from the gunners position.

Nick looked behind him;

"Glad to see you're still with us," he said genuinely, referring to the last time they had seen each other.

"Lucky for me Catherine had her antidote…" Fang explained, reloading his rifle.

"Who's Catherine?" Judy asked openly.

Fang was about to reply-

Until Nick answered whimsically on his behalf;

"Fang's girlfriend…"

"You have a girlfriend Fang?" Judy pried playfully.

"As of today… yea…" the Wolf murmured back, "… But don't we have a big rig to stop right now?"

"Yea…" Nick answered that question, "You got a spare gun? This one's pretty much empty," he advertised the MP5.

"Here take this…" Fang offered him his KSG shotgun, "… 12-gauge, pump-action…"

Nick took the weapon from him willingly, looking forward at the speeding semi-truck ahead on the highway;

"Get me to it, and I'll jump on-"

"No way!" Judy protested, "I just got you back, I'm not letting you go again!"

"Judy…" Nick looked at her genuinely, "… It's the only way… there isn't gonna be a city left if we don't stop that thing… and I can do this…"

"Fine…" Judy conceded uneasily, but she wasn't going to argue that fact; "How will we know you're at the wheel?"

"Trust me… _You'll_ know…" Nick insisted, as he climbed into the back seat, "… Just keep the rest of the convoy busy…"

"Got it," Fang approved.

"Right," Judy muttered, "… Hang on…"

And then pressed the clutch to gear up, and then slammed down on the accelerator… gradually closing the gap between the LAPV and the armoured rig…

* * *

Roan still peered through his window at the right side wing mirror, seeing through it the reverse display of motorised chaos… half his armed convoy having been destroyed by the three daring police officers.

And now they were catching up.

…

The Panther silently growled as he seethed with rage in his seat…

He wasn't going to be stopped… not now, not after all this work, this endless planning-

Not by some irate temperamental Wolf.

Not by some snide conniving Fox.

Not by some arrogant dumb Bunny.

…

He wasn't going to be stopped by _them_.

…

* * *

The gap had been closed quickly as the LAPV was still the faster vehicle…

And Judy was pressed hard on the accelerator pedal. She was on a mission. All three of them were.

With a firm grasp on the steering wheel, Judy manoeuvred the car, matching the speed of the rig and pulling up on the right side of the trailer, leaving the smallest gap she could afford without getting too close to the semi.

But it was still an easy enough cross and small climb for Nick to reach the trailer;

"Go now!" Judy yelled behind her.

The two canine's followed her order; Nick climbed out onto the roof of LAPV through the roof hatch, Fang following into the gunner's position to help him if necessary-

* * *

Seeing them close enough… Roan reached down to his holstered .50 calibre pistol…

And swiftly turned in his seat to aim out the window behind them-

* * *

Judy saw the Panther first…

And swiftly raised her smaller pistol, leaning slightly out her driver window and fired instantly-

* * *

"GAHRR!" Roan grunted as the 9mm bullet pierced his left shoulder with a small splatter of blood, forcing him to recoil back inside the cab…

In an instant, the Fox in the rear seat of the modified cab reacted… Max picked up his P90 submachinegun, moving to the side window to fire behind them at the pursuing armoured car-

* * *

The gunfire caught the two canine's attention:

"Get down!" Fang hollered, forcing Nick behind the open roof hatch before ducking down into the car for his rifle.

Bullets struck the reinforced windscreen, barely making a scratch as they impacted. The small shootout engaged as Judy fired her pistol wildly out her window at the opposing Fox as Max swiftly returned it with his much larger capacity SMG.

He was eventually forced back once Fang had picked up his rifle… firing in bursts at the truck cab, and Nick peered around the flipped up roof hatch, firing a shell from his shotgun-

* * *

As he dug the bullet out from his shoulder, forcing blood to exude from the wound, Roan looked back into the wing mirror at the scene…

Noticing Max had been forced back inside from suppressing gunfire- that same gunfire also striking his own door, Roan reached over to the steering wheel… startling Mitchell as the Panther clasped onto the edge of the wheel and turned it sharply to the right-

* * *

The trailer collided against them, knocked the LAPV unstable for a moment till Judy returned to two paws on the wheel as the collision crushed her left side wing mirror-

The car started to vibrate against the road when the tyres travelled over the rumble strip as the armoured rig tried to force them off the highway;

"Nick, move your ass!" Fang howled, knowing their time was limited… Judy could only fight against the much larger vehicle for a short time.

Nick moved into position at the edge of the roof for his bold jump-

He didn't waste time, with his shotgun holstered with the carry strap over his back, Nick leapt across the (now much smaller) gap and clasped onto the edge of the shipping container with his paws, claws out for extra grip.

He found a solid footing on one of the trailer's improvised steel armour plates, allowing to push himself up onto the top of the trailer-

* * *

Roan hadn't taken his eyes off the wing mirror… now seeing the Fox board his vehicle, climbing onto the trailer behind them…

He looked behind into the rear seats of the cab at his two vulpine bodyguards;

"That Fox is on the trailer!" Roan growled at them, "This time… kill him!"-

* * *

As soon as Nick had a leg on the trailer, Fang dropped down back inside the car, calling to the Bunny driver before the lorry forced them off the raised road bridge;

"He's on! Back off!"

And Judy swiftly responded-

But in the spur of the moment…

She forgot about her injured right leg… as it slammed onto the brake;

"AARRRRRGHHH!"-

* * *

Nick heard her scream- his heart almost stopping at the tone of it, thinking she'd been shot or something worse...

He looked back in shock… Witnessing his companions armoured car fall abruptly behind the truck in a cloud of tyre smoke as it swerved out of control.

...

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you had as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it, despite how difficult it was, and the same goes for the chapters left to follow… because this, is just the start of this action sequence ;)**


	26. Chapter 25

**A/N: Hello all! Not gonna ramble on here much this time, other than the usual: Thank you all so much for reading! Seriously it really means a lot… Now grab the popcorn, get reading, and don't hesitate to tell me what you think! Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 25

 ** _'Road Rage – Part 1'_**

* * *

Nick needn't have worried…

…

Although Judy felt like she _had_ been shot a second time as the pain from her earlier bullet wound coursed agonisingly through her nerves… she was so hyped up on adrenaline it only made Zootopia's craziest steadfast Bunny evermore determined.

Even at this speed as the car swerved wildly to face the wrong way, she forced her right paw down to the handbrake-

Before performing a perfect 180 degree handbrake turn…

And slammed her injured right leg back on the accelerator… this time not caring about her wound as it began to bleed again into her bandage.

Judy would brave the pain…

* * *

Nick still looked back down the 4 lane roadway with worry for her…

But seeing the graceful car control she exhibited, in an instant he knew she was still in the fight, whatever state she was in.

He knew she never gave up.

…

But he still couldn't help but worry about her as he looked back the direction the armoured rig was traveling, spotting an approaching overhead sign…

Nick didn't have to duck underneath it, he was small enough that the sign sailed easily over him, even on his elevated position on top of the trailer… but it was the quick glance at the information that he took notice of; the sign said several things, but the only thing he was looking for said:

* * *

 **SAVANNA CENTRAL 14**

* * *

…

14 miles left.

…

And they were quickly running out of them… even if the truck had slowed down from its earlier nearing triple digit speed, Nick beginning to feel the chill of the rushing wind against him.

But the information from the road sign wasn't what kept his attention…

It was the Vixen the other end of the trailer wielding a baseball bat that was charging towards him.

As quickly as he could, Nick pulled the shotgun holstered with the carry strap from his back, aiming directly in front of him at the charging Vixen…

But Maisie was already on him: she swiftly swung her bat striking the barrel of Nick's shotgun away with enough force the weapon flew from his paws to fall from the truck onto the speeding roadway-

And a split second later, Nick felt the Vixen's blunt weapon strike the underside of his jaw, painfully knocking him back down to the roof of the shipping container trailer.

Nick cringed from the hit, moving his now empty paws to massage his jaw for a moment as he heard the Vixen shout behind to her brother;

"You wanna get in on this one Max?"

"Naa… not my type…" the other Fox remarked, observing the fracas, "Just don't fall in love with him while you beat him to death like the last one…"

"No promises…" Maisie smiled, "… He's kinda hot,"

"Thanks…" Nick mocked in response, acquiring the Vixen's attention, "… but come on, beating me up for a first date? That's just not cricket…"

"No… its baseball, cutie,"

"Except…" Nick pointed at her blunt weapon, "… you know that's a rounder's bat, right?"

Maisie scowled; "Doesn't matter…" and raised her bat, "I'm still gonna kill you with it!" and brought it straight down-

Nick rolled sideways onto his front, causing the Vixen's aluminium rounders bat to impact against the steel of the container with a metallic clang… and swiftly, Nick kicked her right leg from beneath her…

Maisie shifted her weight, using her large bushy tail to counterbalance and her brutal blunt weapon to push back off the container roof to prevent her from falling… but her brief stumble had given the cop time to rise to his feet.

Nick ducked as the Vixen suddenly swung the bat at his head, taking the advantage of her over slung attack to punch her directly in the muzzle…

Maisie staggered back, looking genuinely upset at Nick as her left paw moved to massage her snout;

"You'd hit a vixen!?"

"Only the psycho ones, hot-stuff," Nick teased.

Maisie made a snide smirk… before swiftly raising her weapon again-

With a mild snarl, she swung downwards, attempting to strike Nick directly on the top of his skull…

But he easily dodged it, moving to his right so as to stay near to the centre of their swaying duelling platform as the Vixen swung at him again…

Their melee continued as Maisie made several more lunges at him, Nick dodging every single one with surprising agility, until it eventually let him down verses the Vixen's constant blunt onslaught:

For once Maisie swung low, catching Nick off guard…

He still dodged it, the bat barely grazing his fur, but it easily knocked him off balance; Nick lost his footing, especially when Maisie attacked him again- this time slamming against his forehead with the knob on the base of the handle of her rounders bat.

Nick fell onto his side, swiftly recovering at the sight of a metal cylinder about to hit his head… he rolled away as Maisie brought her weapon straight down at him, only to instead collide against the steel with another metallic clang…

Almost spinning on the spot, Nick moved so as to kick her away, barely making her stagger with a feeble push of his foot paw… but it still gave him the necessary chance to return to his feet.

And their melee continued still; this time Nick would be prepared for any cunning strategies like that…

Every swing Maisie made of her rounders bat Nick efficiently dodged, further infuriating her, but every second Nick stayed fighting against her meant he was losing time that he couldn't afford, further infuriating him.

However, Max and Maisie excelled in fighting mammals bigger than them, whereas Nick didn't… but fighting mammals the same size played right to Nick's advantage.

After all of the melees he'd been in today… Nick finally had a fair fight…

Somewhat.

Maisie was certainly keeping Nick on his toes… both mentally as he tried to remember his SWAT paw-to-paw training, staggering himself again at how much of what he learned was actually being put to practice… and physically, as the uneven, unguarded trailer of the semi-truck rocked and swayed with the movement of the vehicle, definitely forcing him to keep his balance at every given moment.

As Nick and Maisie were duelling, Max was still hanging back from the fight at the other end of the trailer, ready to pounce on the Fox cop if he felt he needed to intervene for the sake of his sister, even though she was capable of holding her own and appeared to be winning. He was waiting in a crouched stance, which on first glimpse looked particularly feral: he was leaning forward, both feet and one paw on the floor and haunches coiled for the needed spring in his step. His sledgehammer-sized claw hammer was still holstered on his back in the shotgun sheath, but he had refrained bringing his P90 with him…

As easy as pulling a trigger is, there was no fun in it for him… which was the same reason he only used his hammer when he was angry.

He very really contemplated using it when the Fox laid another punch on his sister, and chose not to-

But he still decided to intervene…

Having taken the punch, Maisie had just swung her bat at Nick again… though this time he made a tactical decision against dodging it, and instead let it collide with his left side. He cringed a half-second from the pain of the impact before he made his move:

Nick clamped his arm over the aluminium cylinder, grabbing it firmly with his left armpit and moved his left paw to the handle, before he abruptly yanked it away from the Vixen's grasp whilst simultaneously pushing her backwards with his right paw…

Having not expecting such a move, this time Maisie fell down onto the uncomfortable steel of the trailer roof, Nick proceeding to stand over her triumphantly with her own weapon in his paws-

That was the moment Max intervened; he jumped right over his sister, diving directly into Nick's chest to knock him backwards, and landing hard against the trailer with the back of his head, making him drop the Vixen's weapon.

Maisie dived for her rounders bat before it fell off the edge, turning back to the fight as Max pinned Nick against the trailer, crouched on top of him with his foot across his neck…

Angered again at another bout of being constricted around his airway, Nick quickly made use of Max's blunder that he hadn't restrained his arms:

He clasped on the other Fox's leg with both paws, twisting Max's ankle enough so he made a grunt of pain as Nick forced him away, taking in a deep breath as the pressure was released from his neck.

Max fell down beside him on his left, staying there a little longer when Nick swung a long punch from his right paw towards Max's muzzle-

The growl gave it away…

Even through the sound of rushing wind, revving combustion engines and tyres rolling across the road, Nick heard the Vixen's snarl: he looked back in front of him as he lay on the trailer, raising both his legs to kick away the Vixen as she was about to bring her rounders bat down on him again… Nick's feet colliding directly with Masie's chest.

She staggered backwards, as Nick followed through with his momentum from his kick, managing to return to his feet and kicking forwards again at the enraged Vixen to knock Maisie back down…

But Max had re-found his own two feet… assaulting the Fox cop from behind with a kick to the back of his leg; it knocked Nick to one knee as Max caught him in a headlock.

Nick fought against it, tucking his chin and trying to pry the other Fox's arms away from his neck as he pushed backwards against him, now back on his two feet and travelling rearward to the end of the trailer and dodging more strikes from the Vixen as Masie attempted to crush and consequently miss Nick's feet every time he took a step back, her bat making more loud clangs of metal on metal.

Nick once more raised a single leg to kick the Vixen away…

But he still hadn't got out of Max's headlock-

* * *

The decreased speed of the armoured semi-truck had allowed Judy and Fang to catch up in their own armoured vehicle after their spinout…

But the remainder of the armed convoy had caught up also.

Whether they were out of bullets or just not shooting, the other vehicles began to converge around them on all sides, surrounding them and ramming their solid vehicle, knocking the Wolf and the Rabbit harshly inside the car.

"They're boxing us in…" Fang uttered.

"I can see that-" Judy replied, getting interrupted as several bullets started to strike at her driver door, forcing her to flinch back into her seat to avoid getting shot through her broken window.

It was coming from the other 18 wheeler of the convoy; the tanker truck. It had pulled up on their left side, matching their speed. A pack of wolves were riding on the trailer tank, four of them, completely exposed compared to the other vehicles of the convoy… but it also gave them a much better vantage point… now using it to their advantage to try and kill the Bunny driver of the commandeered LAPV.

Judy still recoiled in her seat, trying to control the car while trying desperately not to get shot (as she knew how much it hurt)…

In the rear seat… Fang took a chance:

With his rifle held firm, he barely popped his head out of the open roof hatch before he fired… striking the she-wolf with the assault rifle shooting at Judy's window as a single bullet clipped the top of her skull… it didn't kill her… but it did knock her backwards to fall off the opposite side of the tanker, smacking against the speeding roadway as she fell…

With no bullets directed at her for now, Judy clasped hard on the steering wheel, ramming against the side of the tanker trailer… and staying so close that the wheels of both the trailer and her armoured car were almost touching.

That moment, Fang made an impulse decision… thinking he could do better in this situation than staying in the armoured car;

"Try not to get shot… err, again…"

"Where are you going!?" Judy asked.

"On that tanker truck…" Fang revealed, "Just line up the hatch so I can jump it!"

Judy pressed the brake gently, glancing behind her to line up the roof hatch of the LAPV with the stern of the tanker trailer, and making the car behind them rear end their tougher vehicle and drop backwards on the roadway behind from the sudden jolt.

With the vehicle's lined up with the corresponding speed, Fang moved with lightning quick haste… climbing fully out of the LAPV's roof hatch and immediately making the jump across to the rear of the tanker truck, landing solidly with his feet on the extended rear bumper and clasping hard onto the ladder fixed to the huge fuel tank, now clinging on firmly, but incredibly vulnerable from the rear of the tanker rig;

"URGH!" Fang grunted as one bullet, likely a single 9mm struck his back…

Though the rear plate of his ballistic vest stopped the round, the impact still hurt, and other than that single bullet, the criminals had held fire as Fang had expected (and hoped for), not wanting to risk shooting the tanker full of highly flammable liquid…

However, as he climbed the rear ladder and peered over the top edge, it was obvious the pack of wolves on the tanker truck didn't have the same thought-

Fang immediately ducked down as he saw one of the wolves aim his AN-94 at him, firing straight afterwards with the bullets scarcely missing Fang's ears as he folded them back. He was pinned, and in the most awkward of places as well.

But he wasn't for long…

* * *

Observing him from the rear view mirror and from looking behind out her window, Judy made a move to help him:

Pulling away from the side of the tanker truck with a turn of the steering wheel, she rammed into one of the cars boxing her in away from her vehicle enough so she had a clear shot. She aimed her PPK pistol out her broken window at the wolf wielding the assault rifle keeping Fang pinned, and quickly pulled the trigger several times.

It was a flurried move… Judy scowled as only one of her bullets grazed the wolf's leg, she knew she was better than that…

But that was more than enough-

* * *

Having noticed her shot had landed, Fang tore up the ladder as fast as his limbs would take him, immediately engaging the wolf that previously had him pinned; the one Judy had shot.

The canine was currently kneeled down with his paw on his bleeding leg… but Fang didn't relent…

As he thought back to the earlier conversation all the way back in the church; Wolford had been right: these criminals didn't deserve any mercy:

He quickly grabbed the gun by the rail guard and yanked it from the other wolf before he even had a chance to fire… Fang slammed the rifle butt against the canine's muzzle, knocking him down before grasping the trigger himself and made sure he wasn't going to get back up again as he fired several rounds into his chest.

But there were still two more wolves to deal with-

Fang was swiftly tackled when the first wolf was already on him before he could prepare, the opposing canine kicked away the assault rifle in his paws… Fang inadvertently dropping the weapon as the wolf's foot knocked it away, disarming him-

And then snarled in anger as a knife was slashed across the side of his muzzle, the tip of the blade making a shallow cut from the edge of his right cheek to just behind his nose…

With a deliberate stagger backwards, Fang affirmed his balance on the shaky duelling platform, perfectly ready for the wolf's next lunge at him:

The canine thrust the knife at him directly, attempting the stab Fang directly in the gut… but that was as far as he got…

Fang shifted to his right, retaining his balance as he promptly grabbed the wolf's outstretched stabbing arm, yanking him towards himself before elbowing him in the throat.

As the wolf cringed from the hit, Fang jerked the knife from his grip, swiftly using it himself has he slashed at the cringing canines neck… grabbed hold of his shirt collar- almost instantly drenched in blood from the cut artery… and then Fang stabbed the knife twice more into the wolf's gut before twisting him around and throwing the bleeding canine off the side of the trailer-

And collided instantly against one of the highway's passing lampposts with a sickening thud…

Having dispatched that one, Fang looked ahead, seeing the dual shocked and angered expression of the last wolf-

Who still had his gun in his paws.

Fang reacted accordingly…

Before the other wolf had chance to raise his weapon, Fang had juggled the tactical knife in his right paw, holding it by the steel blade as he raised it and swiftly threw it at the other wolf, slicing into and embedding itself into the canine just below his left shoulder.

With a combination of the pain and impact as the knife gouged into his flesh, the other wolf fell backwards, dropping his rifle.

Fang charged at him to finish him off-

Completely shocked when the wolf with a knife through his shoulder kicked him away with both feet…

Fang landed hard onto his back, slightly dazed as he hit his head. He looked forward to see the wolf had risen to his feet but was crouched low as he suddenly pulled the knife from his shoulder with seemingly no affliction of pain.

Fang remained lying on his back to let the wolf reach him this time- barely a second had passed before the canine did charge towards him… so Fang swiftly returned the dropkick he had been given, striking the wolf in his chest.

It didn't knock him down, but it did make him wobble backwards, giving Fang all the time he needed:

He swiftly jumped to his two feet, his tail successfully keeping him balanced on the shaky tanker trailer before rushing forward to attack the other wolf…

By now he had recovered, seeing the White Wolf cop coming to attack him… He stabbed forwards, aiming directly at Fang's heart-

It was a pathetic manoeuvre… Fang easily countered it: moving to his left, the wolf's outstretched aim sailed past him where he simultaneously elbowed the canine in the armpit to weaken his arm, and yanked the knife from his loosened paw… Fang now had the blade- holding it backpawed, but refrained from using it yet.

While still clutching the knife, he swung his right paw round and punched the wolf directly in his knife wound beneath his left shoulder.

The wolf instantly buckled, falling off his feet and down to one knee with his left still raised- which Fang instantly and brutally stabbed the knife into, twisting the blade as he severed the canine's patella from his leg before swiftly dragging the knife out with its serrated edge cutting the flesh.

This time, the criminal canine was overcome with pain from the cruel stab and having his kneecap bone torn from his leg, he fell to his side as he grasped his blood fountaining knee…

But Fang quickly put him out of his misery, and ended him by stabbing the knife directly through the wolf's jugular… silencing his howls of pain.

Fang didn't waste any time as he dragged the knife from the dead wolf's neck, wiping it quickly against his cloths to get most of the blood off before placing it flat in his maw…. he would still most likely need it, but still wanted to keep his paws free as he proceeded to jump from the trailer to the truck cab…

* * *

While Nick and Fang were undoubtedly busy boarding the other vehicles… Judy was trying to keep the armed criminals from boarding hers.

She wasn't overly fond about taking the life of another mammal (nobody was) even if she knew she had already killed some before this exact moment… Judy knew it struck the very nature of herself, and the very reason she wanted to become a cop: to make the world a better place, and help other mammals… not kill them.

But after the things she'd seen these criminals- these terrorists, do… she was willing to make that sacrifice. In the long run, ridding the world of cold-hearted fanatics like these _would_ make the world a better place… and so, Judy didn't hesitate pulling the trigger…

Too much was at stake.

Plus… she was the only prey animal in a battle against predators… she was only defending herself-

The cars surrounding her had backed off from ramming her stronger vehicle, but only so a couple of foolish criminals could try and board it.

Judy wasn't having any of that…

And she wasn't an idiot: the armoured car's doors were locked and the only way they could get to her was through her broken window or through the open roof hatch.

As one of the mammals from the adjacent vehicle started swinging a hammer to her passenger side window, Judy could see in the rear view mirror a caracal had climbed onto the small truck bed on the back of her car, attempting to climb into the canopy from the roof hatch…

But as soon as he was visible through the open slab of armour plating Judy turned in her seat and fired her pistol through it, the bullets striking the feline hard to kill him and fall off the side of the car-

That moment the hammer broke through her passenger side window… not breaking the glass, but leaving a big enough hole.

Before a gun barrel could be poked through to finish her off, Judy quickly reloaded her pistol before instantly firing several rounds through the hole that was made, cutting into the figure of the dingo on the other side of the shattered bullet-resistant glass-

Several sparks erupted from the exposed frame of her broken driver side window…

Judy had no wing mirror left to see, having been crushed from the altercation with the armoured semi-truck… but with a quick turn of her head she could just about see out the cracked side rear window there was an ocelot and grey fox on a motorbike unwisely attempting to make the gap between her armoured car and the tanker trailer. From their angle of fire, a couple of the bullets had ricocheted off her door into the huge cylindrical tanker trailer, now bleeding out a gentle stream of spilled petrol onto the speeding tarmac beneath them.

Ruthlessly, Judy turned the steering wheel to the left, slamming into the side of the tanker, and forcing the ocelot and grey fox's bike to collide against it, knocking the two of them from the vehicle and knocking the motorcycle itself down onto the road and underneath the rear wheels of the tanker trailer-

A small explosion erupted as the bike's engine and fuel tank was compressed beneath the heavy load, catching the tyres of the tanker rig on fire and inadvertently setting aflame both the small stream of leaking gasoline and the tankers rear fuel lines…

Judy looked back through her window to see the blaze, muttering her usual tame curse word to herself;

"Oh crackers…"

* * *

He gave himself a running start… Fang ran along the remaining length on top of the tanker trailer-

Easily jumping the gap between it and the cab, thumping against it as he landed, his knife still gripped in his jaws, carefully so as to not cut himself.

His thump against the metallic roof alerted the wolf driver inside, and oddly, the polar bear in the passenger seat…

But they didn't get chance to react before Fang made his move:

Dropping through the cabs sunroof, the Wolf cop kicked the polar bear directly in the head with all his weight twice over, appearing to knock the bear out cold before he landed in between them…

The wolf driver attempted to grab Fang by the neck-

But he didn't get there… Fang pushed the wolf's paw away, making him miss his mark before the cop grabbed the criminal by the ruff with his left paw… slammed his muzzle into the steering wheel, and retrieved the knife from his mouth to stab directly at the wolf driver's throat… piercing straight through his jugular with a splatter of blood against the seat.

Fang reclaimed the knife first before he leaned over to open the driver side door, and pushed the dead canine out of the vehicle onto the speeding roadway… now taking control of the tanker rig himself…

Although Fang had no idea how to drive a semi-truck, he assumed it couldn't be all that difficult as he put his feet on the pedals and paws on the steering wheel.

He looked in front a couple of lanes to the right, seeing Nick in a brawl against the Fox and Vixen duo on the container of the armoured semi-truck… sort of wishing he was there to help considering how much he wanted payback on the two vulpines. Though of course, he knew Nick wanted that payback too, and he appeared to be holding his own against them.

Fang changed his gaze, now looking back into the right side wing mirror; he didn't take much notice that the rear of the tanker he was driving was _slightly_ ablaze and was focussed more on Judy's wellbeing, seeing the reverse image of her still inside the commandeered pickup LAPV… still surrounded by the rest of the armed convoy. She herself seemed to be holding her own despite the other large cars occasionally ramming into her and a couple of random audacious criminals trying to board her vehicle…

But she was still boxed in by the other vehicles-

With the tanker blocking her right side…

So Fang proceeded to change that.

With some slight pressure on the gas pedal, he forced the rig to accelerate… For two reasons: free Judy from the rest of the armed convoy, and catch up to the other rig to help Nick…

* * *

Judy instantly noticed the tanker truck's slight increase in speed, and assumed Fang had reached the controls successfully.

She refrained from accelerating along with it though, as that was the intention while her Wolf comrade was pressed on the accelerator, it was opening a gap on her left side to free her from the rest of the convoy surrounding her.

As the tanker rolled forward, Judy peered through her broken driver side window, coughing before holding her breath from the burning rubber and leaking petrol fumes and the subsequent blackened smoke that was following it…

And through the smoke she saw, the two fennec foxes in the modified dune buggy with the flamethrower pulling up along the left side of the tanker truck, evidently trying to catch up to the cab and torch it with Fang inside.

Judy wasn't going to let them get any further…

* * *

It didn't take much acceleration, but as Fang looked back in the right side wing mirror he could see the gap increasing…

And the flames getting bigger-

Suddenly, as Fang was focussed on driving the truck… it appeared the polar bear in the passenger seat had only been playing unconscious.

He swiftly roused, revealing a .44 magnum revolver and pointed it straight at the Wolf beside him-

Pointing the weapon was as far as he got…

Fang quickly grabbed the bears paw, clawing into it and prying away the handgun as a single missed shot rang out. The gun dropped into the foot well as Fang let the steering wheel go completely and swiftly made use of his knife: stabbing straight through the bear's paw and pinning it to the dashboard before promptly jolting his own sideways to break the handle off from the blade, trapping the bear's bloody paw in place against the dashboard of the lorry as the ursine roared in pain.

* * *

It was the polar bear's roar that actually caught his attention…

Roan looked out the right side window from the backseat of the armoured lorry cab to see the flat fronted semi-truck catching up to them-

And scowled as he saw the White Wolf in the driver's seat.

For a moment Roan admired the Wolf's tenacity, even after he'd turned the canine savage… it appeared he was coming back with a vengeance.

Which he was adamant to deny him:

Roan lifted up his Tar-21 assault rifle, armed with a fully loaded magazine, aiming out the window towards the White Wolf…

* * *

Fang noticed as he was scowling at the Panther… swiftly pulling the whining polar bear in front of him from his neck to use as a living shield as the feline in the opposing lorry pulled the trigger…

The bullets impacted the polar bear, turned his white fur red, killing him instantly with small splatters of blood and the sickening squelches of bullets cutting into flesh.

Fang ducked below the dashboard, inadvertently letting off the accelerator as he reached down to the foot well and picked up the dead polar bear's dropped revolver…

* * *

Roan held fire for a moment.

He knew his shots had missed the Wolf, but the slight drop in the tanker truck's speed gave him a chance to turn away and speak to Mitchell;

"Don't let him get in front of us," Roan ordered.

The Honey Badger driver looked to his left, eying the tanker rig two lanes over, before he turned his attention back to the expansive road ahead, changed up a gear, and pressed harder on the gas pedal…

* * *

The sudden burst of extra speed knocked all three of the fighting Foxes on the trailer off-balance…

Max still had Nick caught in a rear headlock, but as the truck had sped up, his grip slipped as he was forced to step backward. Nick instantly used this to his advantage; lifting his shoulders up to further loosen the other Fox's grip, Nick moved his right leg behind Max's before expertly freeing himself from the headlock by twisting around, tripping Max sideways and dragging his arm from around his neck and pulling the criminal Fox in front of him-

Almost making Maisie strike her own brother with her bat weapon as she swung it directly downwards to strike the Fox cop… stopping her swing just before she hit her brother's muzzle.

Maisie lifted her bat away from Max's mildly surprised face…

Just as Nick kicked him forwards, forcing him to tackle his own sister and knocking both of them down as Nick wobbled backwards, lifting his tail and tactically dropping to all fours for a second as the truck sped up further before returning to his two feet…

By now, the other two Foxes had recovered too… Nick was prepared when Maisie charged at him again-

But she caught him off guard as Nick was expecting to dodge another swung of her rounders bat; instead, this time she began her assault with a harsh kick, knocking Nick backwards as her foot collided with his chest before Maisie _did_ swing her bat madly…

First she swung to Nick's head, second to his stomach, next to his chest, then another to his head… every single one of them Nick hurriedly dodged as he stepped backwards each time to avoid the Vixen's assault… but there was only so far he could keep stepping backwards. With each swing Maisie was pushing Nick further and further to the rear of the trailer…

But he wasn't so blind.

Before Maisie could push him back any further, Nick rolled to his right side as he ducked under another of the swings from the Vixen's blunt weapon, passing beside her as she was still mid-lunge-

Though for once Maisie swiftly countered Nick's dodge as she thrust the tip of the bat beside her to collide into his side, hitting him solidly and making him cringe… leaving Nick completely unprepared for the next swing of her weapon: striking the underside of his jaw.

Nick grunted as he wobbled backwards away from the Vixen-

Only for the other Fox to assault him from behind while he was defenceless…

As Nick staggered backwards towards him, Max stepped on his tail to shock him before kicking out the back of his left leg, effectively weakening his stance. With his tail pinned, Nick outstretched his left arm to balance himself… only for Max to swiftly grab it and pull behind him painfully, before tripping Nick's right leg as Max thrust a paw to the back of his neck…

In that moment, Max had practically turned Nick into his puppet, now shifting him to edge of the trailer to throw him off the truck onto the speeding roadway below…

* * *

Fang soon responded to the armoured semi's sudden acceleration, slamming down on the accelerator himself to regain the lost speed. As he retook control of the tanker rig, he sat back up in the driver seat before aiming the revolver he had picked up out the window round the dead polar bear-

He saw both the Honey Badger driver and the Panther gunner flinch from his shots as he fired off the full five rounds left in the cylinder… but they all missed, and now he was out of ammo, so dropped the firearm as it became useless.

He didn't take his eyes off them… Fang was too focussed on waiting for some form of retaliation… and trying to overtake the other semi-truck, he was completely unaware of the danger on his left side…

"ARGHRR!" Fang flinched angrily as a torrent of flame almost completely scorched him.

He ducked away further inside the cab as another searing column of bright orange fire entered his vehicle through the open driver window. He could just about see in the wing mirror: those two fennecs in the modified dune buggy, the one wielding the flamethrower yelling;

"BURN MOTHERFU*KER!"

Fang had no way out of this, part of the inside of the cab had already caught fire and his fur was already partly scorched as he patted it down, once again held back by flames like he had been near the start of the day back in the burning bar… he was beginning to grow a fear of those luminous flakes of orange-

But he didn't have to worry much longer…

* * *

Now the gap was big enough:

Judy swiftly turned the steering wheel, passing behind the burning petrol tanker, making use of the improvised blackened smoke screen to shield her movement till she was free from the rest of the armed convoy.

She continued the merge until she was in the inside lane, now pulling along the left side of the tanker truck-

Witnessing the flames erupting from the modified dune buggy ahead, scorching the truck cab where Fang was…

Judy quickly put an end to that.

With a quick change up in gear, she slammed her foot on the gas…

The short build-up of engine revs was the fennec's only warning- the one in the mounted rear seat with the flamethrower turned to face the noise, seeing the charging armoured car with the Bunny behind the steering wheel, eyes filled with violet fury-

His ears folded back in terror as he squeaked a subtle;

"ARRHHH!-"

Till the LAPV rammed into the rear of their tiny dune buggy… tearing through like it was made of craft paper.

Judy only looked ahead as the wreckage was crushed beneath the wheels of her vehicle… and drove on with that immovable expression of boundless determination on her face…

Still trying to hide the pain from her bleeding leg…

* * *

Roan had kept a solid eye on the opposing truck cab as he leaned over to grab Max's discarded M32 grenade launcher, proceeding to load three of his own high explosive 40mm grenades into the revolving drum.

On completion, the Panther swiftly returned to aim out the open side window-

* * *

Fang had noticed, and ducked low… still using the dead, bullet-riddled polar bear as a shield…

But Roan wasn't aiming at the cab-

The Panther pulled the trigger thrice, launching all three of the high explosive grenades to collide and explode against the gasoline filled tank…

The already bleeding stream of petrol ignited from the three explosions-

Instantly creating a much bigger, much hotter, much brighter and much louder burst of orange flames as the already burning rear compartment of fuel ruptured in a huge explosion.

Fang glanced in both wing mirrors of the cab, seeing clearly in the reflection the fiery inferno he was now driving: an even larger colossal speeding thermobaric explosion about to happen…

* * *

The shock from the outburst of heat and force from the sudden explosion knocked the three Foxes backwards…

It effectively freed Nick from Max's grip as they both, and Masie too, fell over onto the trailer roof-

Nick quickly lifted his elbow twice to smack down onto Max's muzzle as he landed partly on top of him, before rolling to his left to get away from him as the other Fox recoiled from the hit…

Nick found himself next to Maisie now, who swiftly swung her bat again-

Only for Nick catch it with both paws this time, using it as leverage to lift himself over and straddle the Vixen… it seemed to anger her more now that the Fox cop had her pinned as he sat over her lap-

But she became even angrier when Nick let his right paw off her blunt weapon and punched her in the side of her muzzle, forcing her head against the metal of the shipping container.

Nick was taken aback as Maisie reacted accordingly; forcing her left paw to his arm to stop another right hook to her face, she then jerked the bat out of Nick's left pawed grip by thrusting the blunt metal end forward lightly into his neck… that dazed the Fox cop as he coughed from the hit to his airway before Maisie swung her bat against the side of his head, knocking the Fox away from her.

Nick was instantly disoriented from the blow to his head as he fell to his side, even though the Vixen had not put her full strength into it…

Nevertheless, Nick wasn't so disoriented that he didn't see Masie attack him again-

He rolled sideways away from her as she swung her bat against him again, colliding against the roof of the trailer with another metallic clang…

Nick attempted to kick her away-

But having made that move already, Maisie wasn't falling for it again… and swiftly dodged his kick.

Leaving Nick still vulnerable on the container roof…

* * *

In the LAPV three lanes over, Judy looked at her right side wing mirror, seeing the blast off flames behind them…

Knowing Fang would obviously have to abandon the vehicle or die in one of the worst ways possible, Judy matched the speed of the burning tanker truck, keeping the open roof hatch level with the door of the flat fronted truck cab…

* * *

He glanced to his left: Judy had given him his escape route.

As the flames grew bigger behind him, Fang reached down into the foot well to lift the dead polar bear's heavy foot and plonked it on the accelerator, forcing more revs from the engine before he swung the driver side door open…

And jumped straight on top of the LAPV with a dull thud as he landed.

The tanker truck began to speed ahead now with its lifeless driver as Fang climbed back inside the armoured car with Judy…

* * *

Noticing the Wolf cop abandon the vehicle, leaving it with no driver to control it… Mitchell turned the steering wheel of the armoured rig, colliding against the side of burning tanker truck and knocking it against the highway's concrete centre divider-

* * *

Judy slammed on the brakes with a burst of tyre smoke as the tanker truck swerved in front of them, knocking her and Fang forwards in the car.

They didn't exchange any words as it was obvious the tanker could explode at any moment, and they needed to get past it… but as it had collided with the median strip barrier, it had only bounced back, swerving uncontrollably across all the available lanes as the armoured semi-truck smashed into it again, effectively playing a game of tennis with the burning tanker truck against the concrete divider…

And completely blocking the road ahead.

Judy needed to think of something, and think of it fast-

* * *

As the armoured semi rammed sideways into the tanker truck, the unpredictable swerves knocked around the three fighting Foxes on top of the trailer…

Maisie fell off balance as she stood over the Fox cop… both of them recoiling away from the heat of the rolling inferno and the ticking titanic thermobaric time bomb directly alongside them…

Nevertheless, Nick took Maisie's stagger to his advantage:

As fast as he could, he roused from the trailer roof to attack her, dodging another flurried swing of her rounders bat as he moved to her right side, grabbing the Vixen and throwing her downwards onto the trailer.

As he threw Maisie past him, Nick turned to face the other Fox…

Max launched a kick directly to his chest, but Nick stayed firm in his position… the two Foxes then engaging in a short parry of boxing punches… only interrupted as the truck swerved sideways again-

But Nick stayed firmer in his balance as he threw an uppercut to Max's jaw…

As the other Fox recoiled, Nick turned around to face the Vixen again.

Maisie growled furiously as she swung her bat- this time successfully clipping Nick's leg…

But before he fell, the truck swerved again, Nick managing to stay up right as he took the brunt.

Masie had staggered more, but still recovered as she swung her club again.

As Nick dodged it this time, he kicked the Vixen's forward stepped leg away… barely making her reel due to her rage filled frenzy, as she swung her bat hard into his side.

Nick cringed as a result, left vulnerable as he inadvertently turned away from her… opening himself up to an attack from the other Fox:

Max landed another kick at his chest, forcing him backwards before Maisie caught Nick with her aluminium rounders bat around his neck and forcing him over to the side of the truck…

As he looked forward, Nick could feel the scorching heat from the adjacent flames of the burning tanker truck as Max and Maisie tried to force him off the side.

Until-

* * *

Mitchell was now satisfied that, as an experienced truck driver, he knew the burning tanker rig was completely out of control…

Turning his attention back to the road ahead, he slammed hard on the accelerator of the armoured lorry, as well as changing up a gear before pressing a button on the dashboard that activated a nitrous injector into the rig's engine… giving it that much needed extra burst of speed to escape the ensuing explosion about to happen-

* * *

-The sudden jerk of acceleration from the truck put them off balance again…

Nick knowing this was now or never, do or die…

He pushed backwards with all his strength, twisting in the Vixen's grip as he forced her away and managed to free himself.

Nick didn't relent, he was mad enough himself now.

The criminals- these terrorists, didn't deserve any mercy.

Maisie made another flurried swing of her bat…

But Nick grabbed it this time… and as he did, he pulled it towards him, punching the Vixen directly in the muzzle… her nose now bleeding as Nick yanked the rounders bat from her weakened grip when she flinched.

With a mad roar Nick now swung the rounder's bat himself: using it as he would a police issue nightstick…

Although if this was standard takedown, Max and Maisie would have ground to sue for police brutality.

Max attempted to grab him from behind…

But Nick swiftly turned, swinging the bat against his assailant's side… then to his upper leg-

Nick turned around and struck Maisie cleanly in the head as she attempted to attack from behind to reclaim her weapon from him, knocking her away before turning back to Max…

Nick kicked him backwards before striking the bat against his head and finally to the underside of his jaw… knocking him down for now.

Nick turned behind him to face the Vixen-

Using her own weapon to smack her forward launched kick away, forcing her momentum against her to turn her back on him.

This time, Nick launched a forwards kick, making Maisie stagger almost to the end of the trailer…

Before she fell off the end, she swiftly turned to face her attacker... her expression shocked, her breathing panicked.

Nick could tell her fear was genuine… If he could have seen himself, he would be terrified too.

With desperation, Maisie attempted one last lunge at him-

Swiftly countered as Nick knocked her panicked punch away from him with the bat, fracturing her arm before finishing the Vixen with her own weapon, striking her twice in the chest as she had twisted from her punch…

Dazed from the hits, Maisie staggered backwards till she was in the worst place possible… now teetering over the edge at the rear of trailer, the rampant burning tanker truck almost directly behind.

She looked up… directly towards the Fox cop-

Before Nick uttered sarcastically;

"Batter up hot-stuff…"

Max looked up in shock to see his sister teetering over the edge, shouting in protest a distressed;

"NO!"

But was too late to save her…

Nick swung the bat to collide with the underside of Maisie's jaw, forcing her off the rear of the trailer, scarcely having time to let out a horrific scream before she hit the speeding roadway-

Just as the rampant tanker truck jack-knifed, overturned… and exploded.

…

Both Nick and Max instantly blinked and looked away as the expulsion of heat nearly dried out their eyes and the brightness nearly blinded them… the force of the blast itself pushing them both to fall backwards on the trailer roof with a thud as the fireball on the road behind grew exponentially bigger-

* * *

Fang blinked hard as the tanker truck exploded, falling back into his rear seat, but Judy only managed to squint… not taking at least one half open eye off the inferno ahead…

With the little space that was left before they ended up driving through it, Judy quickly merged into the outside lane, before turning sharply… using the full force and speed of the armoured car to smash through the central concrete divider of the highway to escape and bypass the enlarging fireball, and onto the opposite oncoming roadway-

Which was (fortunately) just as empty as the other…

* * *

Even after they had driven past, the petrol explosion grew larger with a thunderous roar as the ruptured tanker spilled its flammable contents across the roadway, the ensuing conflagration being so hot that it melted the tarmac, and blocked the entirety of the highway in burning petrol fumes as the expanding firestorm soared into the sky above in a huge mushroom shape…

Any mammal with a view looked on at the fireball as it burned further into the sky like a second sun, illuminating almost the entire city in an orange haze beneath the looming colourless clouds of the approaching storm, the delayed rumble of the explosion shaking anyone who saw it to their very core…

Contemplating what horror they had just witnessed.

And completely unaware of what was truly at stake.

…

* * *

Nick reopened his eyes as he looked back down the highway, seeing the fireball explosion getting slightly smaller as the armoured semi-truck ploughed onwards along the road…

He looked back in worry, as there was no sign of the armoured car with Judy and Fang inside following him… that was till he glanced at the opposite roadway, smirking as he could clearly see them both in the LAPV and keeping up with them.

Nick turned behind him, now staring at the other Fox left on the trailer.

Max wasn't paying attention to him, as he was gazing past to observe the fireball back down the motorway… his face was in shock at the notable absence of his sister, and at the horror of her brutal and fiery violent end at the paws of this Fox cop…

His expression quickly changed as he shifted his gaze to look at Nick, now turning to that of sheer hatred and ultimate rage as he stared daggers at him…

Nick could almost feel how much Max hated him… especially when he threw the dead Vixen's rounders bat away, the improvised weapon falling off the truck and onto the speeding roadway below.

…

Nick returned the expression of hatred as he and Max stared at each other.

…

One down.

…

One to go…


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N: I gotta admit, I loved those reviews last week… was exactly the reaction I had hoped for, so thank you guys! You know who you are ;) I hope everyone is enjoying this action sequence because it's still ongoing (and FYI, this is a three part chapter)… so go grab some more popcorn, get reading, and again, don't hesitate to tell me what you think! Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

Chapter 26

 ** _'Road Rage – Part 2'_**

* * *

The chase continued…

As the land topography changed, the unbroken asphalt ribbon of the Zootopia Loop motorway now descended from its raised road-bridge into a concrete trough to travel beneath the level of the city.

* * *

Judy was still pressed hard on the accelerator with her right foot, mercilessly trying to fight the pain of her bleeding leg from her reopened gunshot wound as much as her mind could mentally allow… but she was still more focussed on the task at paw:

Keeping up with the armoured semi-truck despite speeding her vehicle the wrong way down the opposite carriageway, and sticking to hard shoulder even with the lack of oncoming traffic. Judy looked on ahead at the open highway… the perspective view of the concrete trough being oddly hypnotising, but not so much that she occasionally glanced over at the opposite roadway at the speeding lorry.

Fang was back in the gunners position up through the roof hatch of the LAPV, also observing the speeding semi-truck, but being unable to do anything at this range, he soon descended back into the vehicle as Judy glanced behind her asking;

"How's he doing?" referring to state of their vulpine comrade.

"Ok for now…" Fang answered, now back with his M4 grenadier in his paws, "But we gotta get back over there-"

"I'm working on it,"

Judy kept glancing at the opposite carriageway, but with the lowered road now passing beneath the city, tunnels and overpasses alike, as well as a thicker centre divider sectioned the two carriageways apart along the central reservation, preventing Judy from making another rapid swerve to crash back through and join the same roadway.

She'd have to think of something else…

* * *

Still on the trailer of the armoured rig, the two furious Foxes continued to stare at each other while they crouched low with the new addition of bridges and the ceilings of tunnels passing marginally over their heads… although both Nick and Max were small enough they could still stand up straight without the risk of losing their heads. Even through the consistent roar of the truck's engine and the rushing wind in their ears, the scene between them was somehow silent… both of them focussed directly on the opposing vulpine-

Until Max growled out;

"You killed my sister…"

"No I didn't… the road did," Nick coldly countered, "… Sa'shame as well really… she _was,_ kinda _hot_ …"

"That supposed to be funny!?" Max roared in anger at the Fox cop's obvious dark comedic joke about his sister's untimely fiery death-

In a split half second he pulled out his claw hammer from his back shotgun sheath, in a fluidic and well-practiced motion that alerted the other Fox; Max only used his sledgehammer-sized claw hammer when he was angry…

And right now… he was _really_ angry;

"YOU'RE A DEAD MAMMAL!"

With an enraged un-fox-like roar the criminal Fox charged at the cop Fox till they met in the middle of the trailer…

Using his right paw only, Max swung the hammerhead at Nick, who instantly ducked as the heavy block of steel skated over his head, barely grazing his left ear.

Nick was prepared to make a prompt counterattack on the opposing Fox, assuming he fought with the same style as his (now dead) sister-

So he was quite surprised when Max beat him to it…

As he had swung the hammer across with his right paw, forcing Nick to duck underneath it, Max caught the handle below the head with his left paw, now wielding his own blunt weapon solidly with both paws…

And before Nick was ready, Max had twisted around with lightning quick haste, using the blunt knobbed end of the hammer's grip to strike his forehead.

Nick was easily knocked backwards, left in slight daze from the blow to his skull-

And completely unprepared when the eye of the hammerhead was smacked directly against his chest…

It winded him instantly, also making a dent in the front plate of his bulletproof vest as he was thrown backwards and knocked to the uncomfortable steel of the container roof.

Nick had only just recovered from his fall when he looked up to see Max with his claw hammer raised-

About to bring it down on him with all his strength with a mad roar…

Nick shuffled quickly backwards before the hammer could be imbedded in his chest… spreading his legs and shifting his tail to the side as the face of the hammer landed directly on the steel between his legs with a resounding clang of metal on metal- leaving a huge dent in the steel of the container roof…

Almost instantly- giving Nick no chance to do anything but shuffle backwards some more, Max lifted his hammer up and quickly swung it directly downwards again-

Colliding against the bare metal as Nick shuffled backwards to avoid having his sternum crushed by the heavy blunt weapon. He really wished he'd actually held on to the dead Vixen's own blunt weapon so he had something to fight with… but he had no time to think about such things…

As once more, the opposing mad Fox gave him barely a second to react before he raised and swiftly brought the hammer down to kill him, missing again as Nick shuffled backwards once more.

Except now, he was now at the end of the trailer…

With nowhere left to run.

Nick looked up at the opposing Fox, whose muzzle wore a cruel and callous smirk.

This time, also in such quick haste as he had done before, Max twisted the hammer around in his paws, now with the clawed side of the hammerhead facing downwards at the cop Fox.

A split second later he swiftly raised it before bringing it down one last time with a mad roar-

This time, Nick rolled sideways onto his front having no other direction to go as the claw of Max's hammer came down with so much force it embedded itself into the roof of the trailer-

* * *

Directly beneath them, the claw of the mad Fox's hammer pierced right through the unarmoured steel ceiling…

Alerting the Coyote and Wolf inside.

Jason didn't take any notice, but Madelyn looked up to the hole that had been made with a nasty scowl… having heard the fracas above and also outside while she was stuck in here doing nothing, and being thrown marginally about the inside of the trailer from the sudden swerves, acceleration and braking of the armoured vehicle… admittedly _with_ the company of the Wolf doctor that was attending to her gunshot wounds in much better manner than she had previously been given.

She had become exceedingly impatient… she'd been stuck inside a prison van most of the morning and now she felt like she was just stuck in another.

So she decided to do something about the brawl above, at the very least.

Madelyn swiftly shoved Jason away from her lightly despite his protest that she should rest her injuries. The Coyote easily ignored, and reached for a discarded M870 shotgun and checked that it was loaded before she raised the 12 gauge barrel towards the ceiling of the shipping container.

* * *

Having thoughtlessly gotten his hammer stuck in the trailer roof, Max tried to gouge it out from its crudely pierced fixing...

Finally giving Nick his chance to make a counter attack.

He jumped up, but remained on all fours before he turned and forcibly launched himself at the other Fox, tackling Max away from his weapon and leaving the hammer embedded in the steel of the container as Max was floored onto his back with Nick on top of him.

Almost simultaneously, they both thrust each other's paws to the others neck to throttle the other-

Just as a large hole was blasted through the trailer roof barely a few inches from their heads.

It caused Nick to flinch as shards of blasted steel erupted from the obvious shotgun blast from beneath them, leading for Max to land a punch against his muzzle…

It was a weak punch, but Nick still flinched… leading for Max to make a swift second.

But Nick promptly stopped it this time, grabbing his paw before it reached him-

As another hole was blasted through the steel they were lying on. This time it had been directly between their legs, which Nick could tell as at least one of the shotgun's pellets grazed his still blood drenched tail making him flinch away from the other Fox with a sudden jolt.

And seeing an opening, Max took it…

He swiftly lifted a knee to collide with Nick's stomach, winding him before catching the Fox cop completely off guard when all of a sudden Max thrust his head forward and sank his teeth into his neck.

Nick instantly went into a dumbfounded shock from the incisions, pulling back as he lifted his paws to try get the mad Fox's teeth out from his neck.

He didn't have to worry long though, Max's savage manoeuvre had done exactly what he wanted as he felt the other Fox's strength buckle, and pulled his clamped jaw away from Nick's neck and swiftly threw him off himself to his side.

Max instantly returned to his feet, going to retrieve his claw hammer while Nick remained propped up on one arm on the trailer roof.

He brought his other paw to his newest injuries on his bleeding neck, feeling lightheaded. Thankfully it wasn't bad, Max's teeth hadn't cut into anything important and there was nothing for Nick to be overly concerned about apart from more blood stains in his fur and cuts that would likely scar. However, he was still feeling faint just from the sudden shock of the attack-

Until another blast through the container roof to his right reasserted his senses to where he was and what he was doing…

And the growl coming from behind him.

Nick jolted his head back to see the other Fox swing his retrieved claw hammer down on him again. He swiftly rolled to his right as the hammer impacted in the steel-

Rapidly followed by another shotgun blast from beneath, making Max flinch away angrily;

"Fu*kin!-" he mouthed before he crouched down and yelled through one of the holes that had been made; "HEY! Friendly fire up here!"

* * *

Madelyn frowned as Max shouted down to her, but she lowered her shotgun regardless, considering her blind firing through the roof apparently _wasn't_ helping the fracas above… plus Max was one of the few mammals that Madelyn trusted their judgement.

And Jason was another;

"Maddie, you need to stay off your feet otherwise you're just gonna open that wound back up," he warned, carefully trying to ease her back down.

The Coyote huffed, but wasn't about to disagree with him, being the experienced medical practitioner he was;

"Urrgh… Fine…" Madelyn mumbled, plonking herself back down on her rear as she winced from the pain in her leg and shoulder, and dropping the M870 shotgun beside her…

Although she wouldn't have been so submissive of the situation if she knew the mammal that Max was fighting up on the container roof was the very same Fox cop who had shot her at the start of the day…

* * *

Having nulled the threat from below, both to his enemy and to himself… Max continued his enraged battle against the Fox cop that killed his sister.

By now, Nick had returned to his feet, shakily, both from his injuries and from the unstable platform of the armoured semi-truck's trailer. He was by all means, completely exhausted now, his heavy breaths coming out in wheezed pants… but he had to continue fighting.

Nick swiftly backed away as Max swung his hammer at him, the head of it barely passing across his chest.

Its suddenly grew darker as they passed beneath the ceiling of a tunnel… Not that it was problem for either Fox…

And Max certainly didn't relent from his assault; wielding the blunt weapon with both paws, he lifted it and brought it downwards-

Nick dodging again as he stepped to his left, the hammer scarcely grazing his nose.

This time Max didn't swing his weapon… instead he thrust it forward to force Nick backwards across the trailer again…. But as Max thrust the hammer's eye towards his chest, Nick swiftly dodged the hammerhead as he stepped to his right, stopping the other Fox's assault as he planted both paws on the handle…

But Max swiftly ended that-

He yanked the hammer back towards him, pulling Nick along with it and off balance before he thrust his own head forward to head-butt the Fox cop away.

As Nick staggered, his grip failed on the hammer's handle, giving Max full control of it as he lowered the claw to Nick's leg and pulled it further backwards to trip him over.

Nick immediately felt his leg buckle as it was pulled from beneath him, falling backwards but managing to twist to his right so as to break his fall-

But he didn't reach the floor…

Nick was about to land mostly on his front until Max caught him in near exactly the same way he had done back in the room full of Nighthowler plants at the construction site; he grabbed hold of Nick's outstretched left arm to stop him falling and swiftly pulled the hammer around and caught him by the neck… now restraining Nick in the exact same way: His arm painfully caught and pulled behind him, the claw of the hammer across the front of his throat- the metal pressing hard against his skin where it was already bleeding…

In such a position Max could easily tear Nick's throat open.

But he relented for a second as he savoured the moment…

Revenge for his murdered sister-

* * *

They had been following along the wrong side of the carriageway for at least a mile now, maybe more… and still there had not been one instance available for Judy to re-join the correct roadway with another bold charge through the concrete centre divider.

And now her patience had snapped… evident with the angry and concentrated frown that had formed on her face and the amount of pressure she was putting on the accelerator.

Diverting her attention back to the road ahead she noticed a slip road leading off the highway, rising up an embankment to an as yet incomplete motorway junction above a tunnel.

Formulating a quick plan in her head, Judy pushed further on the gas pedal so as to gain some ground on the armoured semi-truck before merging left onto the slip road-

"What are you doing?" Fang asked her irritably, Judy almost forgetting he was still in the backseat.

"Improvising… just hold on, and get ready to shoot…"

* * *

As his adversaries had been eyeing his vehicle, Roan had been eyeing theirs in turn, as well as once popping up the hatch with the mounted minigun to check on the fight between the two Foxes…

But as Max was clearly winning the brawl, Roan returned to the front seat inside the truck cab, still keeping an eye on the LAPV on the opposite carriageway. It was easily keeping up with them, but the frequent tunnels and bridges passing overhead sectioned the roadway, and Roan knew it was preventing the audacious Bunny driver from smashing back through the centre divider to intercept them.

However, when the opposing armoured car suddenly pulled ahead of them and travelled up an off ramp and out of his view, Roan still didn't relax as he knew that Rabbit and that Wolf was up to something…

* * *

Judy still had her right foot on the accelerator… she hadn't even touched the brake as the LAPV thundered up the slip road-

"Judy slow down!" Fang warned her, assuming he'd sussed out what her plan was, "At this speed you're never gonna make that turn for the on-ramp-"

"I'm not using the on-ramp…"

"Wai- what?"

Now Fang was clueless… he had heard stories of some of Judy's craziest plans, and been there for others in the time he'd known her while on the police force… but this one was just madness… almost making him regret getting her to drive.

When they had climbed the slip road the interchange was empty since it was currently closed to the public… a good thing considering their armoured car went airborne for a second as they crest the top. It opened onto a large roundabout, with a section of planted green space in the circular centre-

But Judy didn't follow round the circular roadway… she went directly as the crow flies… or in this case, as the bunny drives: barely turning the steering wheel to the right she forced their vehicle to mount the curb onto the island in the centre of the roundabout, making the suspension shudder over the uneven grass and dirt beneath it;

"Oh shi-" Fang mouthed as he was knocked about in the backseat.

"I told you to hold on!" Judy quipped.

"Yea… right," he replied unconvincingly, not taking his eyes off where Judy was aiming the car in front, "… but, now I see why you and Nick make such great partners!-"

She was aiming directly across the island to where a small (and measly) concrete barrier was protecting the edge of the roundabout from the drop below to the motorway, and she still wasn't slowing down…

"-You're _both_ fu*king crazy!"

"Yep!"

The engine revved hard as they smashed through the barrier, falling onto the roadway below… literally getting the drop on the armoured semi-truck-

* * *

Just as it emerged from the tunnel exit beneath… startling the Honey Badger driver: Mitchell slammed hard on the brakes and clutch, wrestling with the steering wheel of the rig as the commandeered LAPV and several chunks of broken concrete fell from the sky and landed on the road ahead…

* * *

Nick was instantly released from Max's restraint on him as the sudden jolt of rig's brakes threw both of them forwards.

They were both caught completely off guard, and tripped on their shaky duelling platform… Max incidentally threw his hammer forwards too, which landed with a clang against the roof of the container while both Foxes fell onto their front…

* * *

Judy wrestled with the steering wheel to keep the LAPV pointed in the correct direction as the tyres reconnected with the speeding roadway of the Inter-district Loop-

Seeing through the rear view mirror her idea had worked: they were now in front of the armoured semi… a questionably advantageous place to be.

And without a dither she shouted to the Wolf in the back seat;

"Shoot Fang! Shoot!"

He immediately obeyed… even he wasn't going to deny that her idea had worked, however crazy it was…

Fang ascended into the gunner position through the roof hatch, peering behind the flipped up slab of armoured plating as the rushing wind hit him with his M4 grenadier held firmly in his paws, and began firing relentlessly at the following truck's windscreen…

* * *

It caused them both to flinch, Roan far less than Mitchell, as the Wolf cop's bullets impacted their reinforced windshield.

It was bullet proof… but only to an extent, and the Wolf cop's relentless ballistic fire had already severely reduced the visibility through the glass as it began to crack…

So Roan swiftly retaliated.

Making himself far more exposed than he ought to, he leaned out of the passenger side window with his Tar-21 fully loaded and quickly began firing wildly…

* * *

Fang marginally flinched behind his cover as the Panther's bullets struck their vehicle… although his adversary's ballistic fire was less accurate than his own, he still managed to hit the flipped up roof hatch, and several more bullets struck the rear window, shattering the bullet resistant glazing and severely reducing Judy's visibility through the rear view mirror…

Nevertheless, she stayed the course, keeping ahead of the armoured rig behind them as Fang took the chance of returned gunfire to reload himself before swiftly returning it again…

* * *

On the back of the trailer, Nick could feel that Max had landed partly on top of him as they had been shunted forwards-

And when he felt the other Fox try to clamp his clawed out paw against the back of his neck, Nick swiftly countered before he could…

His left arm was still behind his back, Max having restrained him in such a way… it meant Nick had fallen hard against the trailer with nothing to buffer his fall, but he also quickly grabbed Max's paw before it reached his neck-

And jerked it away as Nick pulled his arm forwards, using Max's own arm as leverage to twist himself over and simultaneously used his right elbow to smack into his muzzle.

That dazed the other Fox for long enough…

Nick rolled the opposite direction away from him and back onto his front, seeing the discarded hammer in front of him… and made a dive for it-

Only for Max to grab hold of his tail and stop him mid leap.

Nick tripped onto the bare steel again, twisting marginally to his side to see Max grabbing hold of his tail… Nick lifted his left leg to kick him away, placing a fairly weak deterrent kick that landed against the other Fox's muzzle again.

But it only seemed to anger Max more as he pushed away Nick's leg and managed to climb on top of him, both Foxes again thrusting their paws at each other's throats to throttle the other…

Only it suddenly turned into a short contest of who could put the most claw marks on each other as Nick moved his right paw to maul at Max's cheek, only in reaction that he had done to same to Nick…

And considering Nick's left cheek was already scared from earlier in the day, he was fuming with a pained rage… Especially when Max cruelly thrust a claw into the reopened wound-

In that instance, Nick snarled as he swiftly turned his right paw into one strong and perfectly thrown forward jab directly to the underside of Max's jaw, unintentionally but effectively accelerated by a sudden burst of speed from the armoured rig.

It knocked Max cleanly away, as a short stream of saliva and one of his teeth flew from his open maw and fell hard onto his back against the container roof.

Nick took his chance, and unsteadily rose to his feet, the wound on his cheek now bleeding as bad as it had been from when it was originally made by the Red She-Wolf's machete, complementing the gash around his left eye that was also bleeding into his fur…

Max was reeling from the solid hit the Fox cop made on him, but not so much that he didn't react as soon as Nick was back on two legs… He could clearly feel the missing tooth from his gums, and now he was even more enraged than he already was.

As the Fox cop stood before him, he kicked forwards with his left leg, only for Nick to grab it… so in turn, he kicked forwards with his right leg which impacted Nick's left knee, easily weakening his stance and dropping Max's caught left leg as he stumbled sideways-

Giving Max the chance to jump up to his two feet and swiftly launch a right hook to the side of his face…

It knocked Nick into a daze, and left him completely vulnerable for Max to grab him in a side headlock-

* * *

The pursuing shootout between the Wolf and the Panther had raged on for barely twenty seconds, enough for both of them to expend two full 30 round magazines…

Even through the cracked, bullet riddled windscreen, Mitchell observed the actions of the opposing vehicle, and becoming sick of this foray of exchanging bullets, when next time Roan returned from leaning out the passenger window, he slammed hard on the gas pedal of the rig, attempting to smash the LAPV out the way with the forward mounted ram-

* * *

Fang instantly ducked back into the car;

"Judy move!"

But she had already noticed it in the right side wing mirror… responding by quickly pulling to the left to remove her and Fang's vehicle from the path of the unstoppable rig before it rear ended them.

Judy merged all the way into the inside lane next to the median strip, as far away from the opposing vehicle as possible on the four lane roadway as the armoured lorry continued down the outside lane alongside the hard shoulder… with the tall retaining wall of the Loop's concrete trough adjacent to it.

Judy looked over at the truck cab, observing the criminal Honey-Badger driver with a furious scowl-

* * *

Mitchell looked over at the armoured car, observing the Bunny cop with an annoyed frown. Though seeing the furious scowl on the opposing driver's face diffused his annoyance; he'd never seen any bunny get _that_ angry… and he wouldn't deny that it made him nervous-

Which increased tenfold after what the Rabbit cop did next:

* * *

With her snapped patience… Judy went on the offensive:

As she let out another angered growl that would put any predator to shame, she turned the steering wheel sharply to the right, sending the front of the armoured car into the side of the truck cab, slamming into it with so much forced it caused the rig to swerve onto the hard shoulder, collide, and drag against the concrete retention wall with a chilling sound of scraping metal-

* * *

The sudden sideways jerk of the rig did most (if not all) of the work to free Nick from Max's headlock on him…

As they were facing the side of the trailer, they were both shunted forwards, leading for Max slip on the container whilst simultaneously losing his grip on the other Fox, and landing hard on his back as he ended up twisting from his fall.

He attempted to get back up, but as Nick had landed on his front, propped up on his arms… he lifted up a balled up right paw to punch Max back down, then proceeding to pin him on the roof with his head barely and inch away from the edge of the trailer… which was currently scraping along the edge of the concrete retaining wall at high speed.

Again the two Foxes were in another competitive brawl to either maul the other or strangle the other while grappled together on the container roof.

More than once, Max tried to force Nick over him and into the passing wall the truck was being dragged along… but Nick stayed firm with his tail extended behind him for counterbalance-

Until Max kneed him in his left side, breaking his stance and forcing Nick to roll to his right…

And Max rolled with him, continuing their growling grapple, only now it was Nick with his head barely and inch away from the edge of the trailer, and Max on top of him-

* * *

Judy didn't relent her act of road rage as she pulled away from the truck and rammed into it again, pushing it once more to drag against the concrete retaining wall at the edge of the roadway. She didn't know to what end this would achieve apart from a likely cause a high-speed crash or marginally slow them down, but it definitely made her feel better, and at the very least it had damaged the enemy vehicle:

Her charge against it had partially caved in the front wheel arch, the tyre now catching on the warped bodywork as well as putting a massive dent in the side of the cab, but at the expense of losing her right side wing mirror as it was crushed against the body of the armoured lorry…

* * *

Mitchell too had also lost his right side wing mirror as the truck cab was shunted against the concrete retaining wall. He struggled to push back against the large armoured car beside them for the simple fact that even if it was smaller and faster, it was still a worthy vehicle for his modified big rig to contend with…

Especially with that crazy Bunny at the wheel.

* * *

Nick and Max continued to wrestle on the trailer roof, Max currently on top of Nick as the two of them brawled with each other's paws the others throat… the random rocking of the trailer excelling the difficulty of their plight against each other.

Nick made a move to free himself from the Fox on top off him… removing his left arm from Max's neck and instead jabbing into his armpit to break his right arm away from his own neck.

Max's arm buckled, weakening his stance and causing his upper body to drop-

Allowing Nick to return the act Max had inflicted on him moments before… as he lifted his head, thrust forward, and sank his teeth into Max's neck.

His reaction was almost directly the same as Nick's had been, overcome by a sudden dumbfounded shock as he pulled back and lifted his paws to try get the cop Fox's teeth out from his neck.

Nick pushed Max off and away from him until he pulled his jaw away and pushed him over onto his back-

The only problem was that Max recovered much quicker than Nick had done before…

With a feral snarl he kicked Nick directly in the head as he was trying to stand up, knocking him away with a nasty fall onto his front on the bare steel of container roof-

* * *

Judy continued to turn the steering wheel rightwards, repeatedly ramming the side of the truck and forcing it against the concrete retaining wall…

Meanwhile behind her, Fang attempted to make use of her daring assault to kill the Honey-Badger driver, but the car was shaking around so much he could barely stay steady himself to aim from the roof hatch, let alone get a clear shot on him… and instead just began spraying bullets at the cab-

* * *

Mitchell ducked down as low as he could at the first shot from the Wolf cop, being protected by the reinforced bodywork, while still pulling the steering wheel to the left to try and force the LAPV away…

And at the sound of the gunshots, Roan swiftly made use of himself; climbing into the back seat, he swiftly held his own rifle, but with the volley of ballistics from the Wolf hitting the cab, he was forced to blind fire from the rear window, pulling the trigger madly-

* * *

Fang ducked back into the armoured car as the Panther began spraying his own weapon wildly against him, but was still accurate enough that if he had stayed peering out the roof hatch that would have been the end of him as several ogive chunks of lead impacted the flipped open slab of metal and ricocheted off the roof…

Judy responded by simply turning the steering wheel to ram the truck cab again-

* * *

Roan was forced sideways in the rear seat from the sudden jolt… and having expended all the rounds in the current magazine of his rifle, with an infuriated snarl, he rapidly pulled out his .50 calibre pistol from his left hip holster and aimed it directly out the window-

* * *

Judy flinched as two large calibre pistol rounds embedded themselves in her front windscreen following the two deafening gunshots, creating far larger cracks than anything else that had hit it before... especially since they were clearly aimed directly at her head.

In retaliation, she shunted the armoured rig once more… creating a loud pop sound as one of the rig's rear tyres was ripped from the rims, the present speed of the roadway battle shredding the reinforced rubber till there was no tyre left before she decided to pull away-

Just as the Panther returned, this time with his M320 grenade launcher, launching a high explosive shell that only bounced off the side of the LAPV, and instead very narrowly missed exploding against the rear of the trailer…

* * *

Roan snarled again in annoyance as the LAPV pulled away, ejecting the depleted (and wasted) casing for the 40mm grenade he had just fired before loading another into his one-shot launcher-

"Roan!"

He turned away from the side window at Mitchell's callout of his name, and looked forward out the cracked windscreen to what the Honey-Badger was grabbing his attention towards…

A series of overhead electronic signs that said:

* * *

 **REDUCE SPEED NOW**

* * *

…

* * *

 **[:40:] [:40:] [:40:] [:40:]**

* * *

 **…**

* * *

 **TRAFFIC STOPS: 1 1/2 MILE**

 **SECURITY DOORS CLOSED**

* * *

It was the next obstacle to overcome: one of the Inter-district Loop's tolling stations…

Not because he wasn't carrying any money, that wasn't the issue… Roan had absolutely no intention of stopping and paying the toll.

The problem was that the security doors were closed…

While the Zootopia Transit Authority still utilised the simple folding boom barriers that any car at high speed could smash through, the tolling stations around the Loop also implemented an additional far stronger barricade:

Massive automated industrial concertina steel security doors, resembling those that would close an aircraft hangar. They had gained the nickname: Gridlock Gates… for their potential to both prevent them and cause them; they weren't perfect or fool proof (or had even been used yet), but they were implemented for the most extreme cases to close off specific lanes of the highway at the tolling station, whether for safety reasons regarding an accident, spread of fire, set up of random Police checkpoints, or cases where extreme traffic management was needed to maintain a common flow on the motorway to prevent gridlocks…

And for such cases as this.

To create a no-risk immovable obstacle against runaway criminals, or in this specific case: to prevent a group of extremists from enacting a bio-terrorist attack.

And it was an obstacle… like all of them, which Roan had expected, and prepared for…

He reached beneath the rear seats of the truck cab, finding the weapon stashed away that he needed: a SMAW Mod 2 rocket launcher, and four High Explosive Dual-Purpose rockets (one already pre-loaded), which would make short work of the massive steel door blockade.

Roan tapped the Honey-Badger driver on the shoulder, speaking firmly;

"As planned Mitchell,"

"Right," he responded…

And started to lower his foot paw further on the gas pedal, progressively increasing in gears as the revs began to build up from the rig's engine, assisted by its twin turbochargers.

Roan climbed up through the improvised roof hatch with the mounted minigun, holding the SMAW firmly in his paws as he aimed it directly down the perfectly straight highway and prepared to fire, even though the attached laser rangefinder told him he was firing considerably further beyond the launcher's considered effective firing range… it didn't deter him...

He checked behind only to see the duelling Foxes still on the trailer.

His back-blast wasn't clear.

But Roan didn't care-

* * *

Max had recovered quickly after he had kicked Nick away, enough for him to return to his feet to re-engage the Fox cop, but he stopped himself as soon as he looked forward…

Nick was still dazed from the most recent of blows to his head as he lay on his front, barely having chance to look up himself…

Both Foxes had glanced at the truck cab, where the Panther was standing through the modified roof hatch with the turreted minigun… aiming a rocket launcher down the straight roadway ahead, the rear of the weapon facing directly at them-

* * *

Judy had backed away from the armoured semi-truck, pulling back to follow just behind it as soon as she and Fang both noticed the overhead signs warning of the tolling station ahead… Obviously Bogo had called ahead to order the security gates to be closed… allowing Fang to mutter confidently;

"That'll stop them-"

Just when a loud boom cut into his sentence and immediately quelled his statement as a smoke trail erupted from the roof of the truck cab…

"You sure about that?" Judy asked nervously, yet rhetorically.

Leading Fang to only reply rhetorically;

"Fu*k sake- Does this guy ever run out of tricks!?"

Both of them just looked on ahead restlessly through the cracked windscreen as the explosive rocket impacted in the distance down the perspective view of the concrete trough of the roadway-

* * *

Max dropped back down to the container roof as Nick just ducked his head… both of them hunkering down as the back-blast erupted from the launcher when the Panther pulled the trigger-

The concussive overpressure wave blew them backwards slightly while also causing a loud ringing in their ears and further accelerating the rushing wind around them…

* * *

Roan didn't falter for a second when he lowered the launcher, a ringing left in his own ears from the explosively propelled projectile as he had watched it travel down the road into the distance…

It was still way too far to check if it was a hit… but regardless, he loaded another rocket, swiftly taking his aim with the launcher again…

* * *

Despite his further disorientation… Nick swiftly pulled himself up, clawing forward to grab Max's hammer that had miraculously remained in place from where it had been dropped before.

Nick heard the other Fox coming from behind him… so as he grabbed hold of the handle with a firm grip, he spun around on the spot to swing the blunt weapon at its own user-

But Max only ducked down as Nick swung the hammer at his head, making no contact, but had momentarily halted his advance.

Nick immediately went for another lunge, lifting the hammer high over his head to swing it downwards-

And was abruptly stopped as Max caught it mid swing, clamping both paws on the handle just below the hammerhead… both of them now toiling for control of the blunt weapon-

Just as another fierce pressure wave of hot air forced them off their feet… Max fell onto his back, his hammer falling beside him while Nick was blown forwards, landing hard on his front almost at the rear edge of the trailer…

* * *

Judy could once again do nothing but watch as the Panther fired another rocket down the roadway while the armoured semi-truck rolled ahead… knowing that if she tried anything daring, Roan could easily turn one of those high explosive rockets on her and Fang's vehicle… which would most definitely put an end to the chase, and their lives…

She had eased off on the accelerator due to the fast approaching blockage of the roadway... something the Honey Badger driver of the armoured articulated lorry clearly had not. As it began to zoom ahead, Judy gazed at the shipping container trailer to see Nick: the Fox she had finally admitted to herself she loved… and he was still in a brawl with the other criminal Fox…

But both of them were seemingly unaware of the peril that lay ahead of them;

"Nick…" she mouthed worriedly to herself.

Judy couldn't just watch, but she was once again powerless to help him directly… so she helped him the only way she could: by warning him of the danger ahead by slamming her paw on the horn and flashing the headlights-

* * *

The ringing in his ears from the concussive blast wave and the rushing wind of the speeding lorry had dampened his hearing… but Nick still heard the low pitched horn from the LAPV following behind…

He slowly lifted his head, looking to the end of the trailer and beyond to lay eyes on the pursuing vehicle, seeing Judy: the Bunny he loved, clearly, even through the cracked windscreen of the armoured car she was driving.

And even at this distance away, their eyes locked onto each other's…

Though once again, hers were filled with concern... clearly warning him of something he had yet to notice.

That's when Nick turned away, and looked at the direction the rig he was travelling on was speeding towards… and saw the danger in the distance down the perfectly straight stretch of the highway in front of them…

What he also saw, was the Panther take aim again with his rocket launcher-

And another blast wave of pressurised heated air as another rocket was launched…

That further disoriented both Foxes as much as they already were from the first two back-blasts, but they still continued to fight.

While still on his back, Max grabbed hold of the dropped hammer, rolling to his left whilst swinging the blunt weapon in his right paw with a savage growl to strike the Fox cop while he also was still lying down…

Nick rolled to his right to dodge the chunk of steel lobbed at him, the hammerhead slamming hard against the steel of the container as a result. He took the chance to grab hold of it himself, preventing Max from lifting the weapon away and forcing him to let go when Nick returned the hard kick to his head Max had not long given him…

As he recoiled from it, Max manged to stumble to his feet as Nick also returned onto his own… but he didn't go to pick up the hammer this time.

Instead, Nick engaged the other Fox with a perfectly thrown right hook- his paw colliding against Max's already bleeding jaw.

The other Fox growled as he recoiled further, swiftly grabbing Nick's paw when he threw a left uppercut… Max then used Nick's own arm to pull him forwards and beside him so as to strike the Fox cop in his muzzle with his left elbow-

Nick promptly grabbed hold of Max's arm after he mildly flinched from the strike to his snout… the two of them struggling in a powered grapple… a test of who was really stronger, which was abruptly ended-

When the fourth and final blast of overpressured hot air from the Panther's rocket launcher knocked them from their feet.

As he fell onto his back Nick glanced and read the last overhead electronic sign, saying:

* * *

 **TRAFFIC STOPS: 1/2 MILE**

* * *

Which was the distance left before he and Max would be splattered against a huge slab of steel…

* * *

Roan checked one last time down the scope of the SMAW, noticing his four high explosive rockets had done little to break through the toll station's huge security doors… but it had weakened them.

And now, having expended all of his rockets, Roan threw the useless launcher from the vehicle to tumble onto the speeding roadway, before he ducked back down into the truck cab and ordered to Mitchell;

"Nitrous! NOW!"

Mitchell instantly obeyed, pressing the N2O button on the dashboard to activate the installed nitrous oxide injector into the rig's engine, further increasing its efficiency as a torrent of additional oxygen was flushed inside, instantly doubling the revs and boosting its speed substantially…

Meanwhile, Roan returned back up into the makeshift roof hatch of the cab, placing a firm grip with both paws on the controls of the mounted M134 minigun. He pressed hard on the top button of the left handle, making the electric motor spool up the six rotary barrels... and waiting a single second before pressing down on the top button of the right handle-

Unleashing the deadly torrent of supersonic 7.62mm bullets to put as many holes in and further weaken the obstacle in their way…

* * *

The sudden boost of speed had done nothing to diminish the battle between the two Foxes…

Having both been knocked down by the back-blast of Roan's final rocket… the two of them were once again lying on the roof of the shipping container as the rushing wind coursed harshly against their ruffled fur.

Nevertheless, both Nick and Max quickly pulled themselves back up to their feet, both of them finding it harder to stand up as the rig travelled faster and faster up to the speed of a hurricane…

The two of them re-engaged in a match of feeble boxing punches… both of their lunges at the other simply parried back or impacted the other vulpine with flurried throws of their balled up paws… both of them were still disoriented, and both of them were exhausted…

During the brawl, Nick finally managed to summon the strength to land a much harder punch on his opponent that forced Max backwards, and making him trip on the container roof with the rushing wind eventually forcing him over-

But it was somehow in that moment Max's rage and determination to defeat his rival and avenge his sister overcame his enervation; as he was knocked down, he took the chance of his stumble to pick up his dropped hammer, and rapidly returned to his feet to Nick's dismay…

With a blind rage Max began to swing the heavy blunt weapon madly at his opponent as fast as he could.

Nick managed to dodge each of them before one final swing caught his leg. He gasped loudly from the blunt pain as the hammer collided, swearing he heard and could feel either his tibia or fibula bone crack as he was forced down onto the container roof, the momentum of his swept leg making him land hard on his front-

But what hurt even more was what came next:

Nick had barely any chance to recover before Max brought the clawed side of his hammer down directly against his exposed back… causing Nick to scream in agony when the claw pierced straight through the back-plate of his ballistic vest, cutting marginally into his back… It didn't cut deep, having been mostly stopped by the vest, but it was enough for Nick to tense up as he felt the stabbing pain when the metal gouged into his flesh…

It hurt even more when Max used that stabbed anchor in his back to throw Nick around him to the end of the trailer, simultaneously tearing the claw from his back with a splatter of blood exuding across the bare steel.

Nick was panting out his breaths now, trying to fight the pain as he rolled onto his side and lifted his head up to look at his would be killer while he was lying vulnerable and defeated on the trailer roof…

But that was right where he wanted to be-

* * *

Now at the highest gear possible and made full use of the diesel engine's dual turbochargers… the nitrous injector had further accelerated the armoured semi-truck far faster than it could handle- the revs had excelled way beyond the disabled limiter, entering into the realm of the redline.

Mitchell glanced at the speedometer, the analogue dial further dipping to the right… reaching the triple digits and had kept on climbing until it eventually levelled out when he had pushed the accelerator pedal as far as it could go, staying steady around the 130mph mark as the surrounding world turned into a blur and the vehicle began to rumble against the asphalt corridor… an unstoppable cruise missile of the road…

Behind and above him, Roan was still pressed hard on the trigger of the minigun, the weapon roaring in contest with that of the rig's engine itself as it emitted its cone shaped burst of flame and sparks from the barrels.

By now Roan had held the trigger enough that the electric motor started to whine as it began to overheat and expel smoke… the six rotary barrels were glowing red hot, creating a luminous hue of red around him as if personifying the Panther's anger…

But Roan didn't relent off the trigger… with a grip so solid it was a wonder he hadn't broken it as he exhibited a furious steadfast glare on his face… his eyesight remaining fixed, firmly on the obstacle ahead as if wishing its destruction.

He wasn't going to be stopped…

Not by this-

Not by anything.

And anyone or anything that tried would face his relentless wrath...

* * *

On the trailer behind him, Nick could see even through his half open eyes from the rushing wind in his face that the obstacle ahead was getting ever closer…

And Max was clearly unaware, as he towered over the Fox cop, his expression callous as he stayed crouched low with the rushing wind coming from behind him, but still with his hammer held firmly in both paws- soon to be the murder weapon of Nicholas Wilde.

Nick just backed away from Max ever so slightly more as the murderous Fox slowly advanced on him, positioning himself right by where the holes in the container had been made by the shotgun wielding Coyote below them-

* * *

With a mere one hundred metres before the semi-truck slammed into the huge steel gridlock gates, at the last second Roan let go of the minigun trigger and ducked back inside the cab as Mitchell yelled;

"BRACE!"

…

An unstoppable force verses an immovable object…

But only one would break.

And Roan was sure he had done enough-

* * *

"Come on!" Max taunted aggressively, clearly irritated by Nick's refusal to keep on fighting, "Get up and fight me you coward!"

But it was because he had no idea what was about to happen… Nick waited one second as he glanced behind the opposing Fox, before he spoke back sarcastically;

"Err… I'm good down here, thanks…"

And then he turned over… grasped hard onto the container roof through one of the holes made by the shotgun…

And held on for dear life-

* * *

The clash of metal against metal could nearly burst the eardrum…

But it was the immovable object that gave way to the unstoppable force.

At over 130 miles per hour, the armoured semi-truck rammed directly into the huge explosive damaged and bullet riddled security doors, blasting them apart from the fixings, warping and tearing the weakened metal asunder as the rig charged forwards, dispersing debris for nearly a hundred metres across the tarmac in a spectacle of the modified truck's uncompromising strength.

Mitchell wrestled with the steering wheel, the clutch and the gears all at once, as the impact instantly slowed them back down to double digit speeds; the lorry became erratic and unstable, snaking side to side with shrilled ear-splitting screeches and thick smoke coming from the tyres as they left blackened hot rubber strips along the roadway- one of the tyres even exploded with a deafening pop during the collision. Mitchell fought mercilessly to maintain control of the vehicle, easing further off the gas pedal to drown out the snaking trailer.

But that was one less obstacle taken care of… and they _were_ still moving, and moving fast.

Having been thrown forward into the backside of the front passenger seat during the collision, Roan had hit his head hard against the back of the headrest… luckily for him it was a much softer collision than that of his vehicle… and regardless, he swiftly roused himself to climb back up to the roof hatch to review the outcome of the impact against the two brawling Foxes on the trailer…

* * *

During the collision, Nick had just kept his eyes shut and face scrunched up in tension while he endured his latest ordeal. He had felt at least one sheared shard of steel cut across his back, protected from serious injury by his ballistic vest as he held himself plastered against the trailer roof as much as he could despite the vehicle's attempts to throw him off it.

But when it was over, the only thing Nick could now hear was the wind rushing past his ears. Deciding finally to reopen his eyes, he looked back up to the front of the trailer… he didn't know what had happened to his vulpine adversary…

Only that Max was no longer there.

What he did see however, was the Panther himself peering from the roof hatch of the truck cab… glaring at him with pure hatred.

Despite the pain from his injuries, Nick jumped up to his feet-

Just as Roan took aim with his M320 grenade launcher, swiftly pulling the trigger a moment later just as the truck entered a tunnel, giving Nick only half a second to shield his face.

The launched 40mm grenade exploded against the ceiling of the tunnel, the force of the blast throwing Nick sideways off the edge of the trailer-

* * *

The blast of the grenade also forced Roan back beneath the roof hatch… having not expected or seen the tunnel coming, but after composing himself with a shake of his head, he quickly returned to look down the trailer…

Only for a small conceited smile to slowly form across his muzzle as the Fox cop was no longer in view.

And fairly confident that Nick had been dealt with, he returned inside the cab, and calmly plonked himself back down in the front passenger seat…

* * *

Only Nick _was_ still on the trailer…

Dangling from one of the sheared pieces of armour plating on the left side of the mounted shipping container by the strap of the digital watch around his left wrist.

And once again, hanging on for dear life…

…


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

 ** _'Road Rage – Part 3'_**

* * *

The tolling station's security alarm was blaring loudly with a monotonous whine as the commandeered LAPV passed through the broken barricade made by the unstoppable semi-truck.

The road had been completely littered with warped and sheared steel; a literal graveyard of metallic chunks after the collision carnage at the tolling station. The state of the road forced Judy to swerve around to avoid running over the largest debris, gently shaking the vehicle side to side as she and Fang continued the pursuit…

Only the rig had powered onward till it was just a speck, almost an entire mile ahead of them… it was obvious the driver had survived, and so had most likely the rest of the truck's occupants despite the severity of the impact.

But Judy had no idea whether Nick had escaped the danger… and if he hadn't, he would surely be dead, with his splattered remains left somewhere amongst the debris field at the tolling station-

But she chose not to believe such a thing, she knew that Nick was still alive… and so she just pressed harder on the accelerator to regain the lost speed to close the gap between them and the truck.

But she still questioned worriedly to the Wolf behind her;

"Fang… how are we gonna stop this thing?"

"No idea…" he responded unsurely.

And Judy noticed; Fang sounded distracted… which was made obvious why, when he spoke not barely a second after;

"… But we got more company…"

Judy turned her head, attempting to look in either of her mirrors… except she had no mirrors left, only the rear view mirror remained intact as it was inside the car, but the reverse image through that was compromised by the shattering in the back window from the many bullet impacts.

Forced to turn her attention completely behind them, Judy now saw what Fang was referring to as she saw directly through the windows…

Two of the criminal vehicles had caught up to them:

A modified 10-wheeler flatbed truck, pulling up on their right… except the flatbed was no longer flat, reinforced with plates of steel around the edges to use as bullet shields for the crew of gunners on it.

And another pickup LAPV like their own, pulling up on their left… except this one wasn't riddled with bullets or had cracked windows-

All of a sudden, they both flinched hard- Fang also yelping in fright, when one of the mammals on the modified flatbed truck fired a mounted harpoon gun, the spearhead somehow penetrating through the armour of the rear left side door with an ear-splitting sound of pierced metal…tethering the two vehicles together with a tough steel cable.

Judy attempted to break the tether by swerving to the left-

But all that did was make the cabled harpoon rip the armoured door from the lock and hinges, tearing it from the vehicle and exposing the inside… whilst simultaneously and accidently shunting into the side of the other armoured car beside them, unknowingly allowing for a lion jump over to the rear bed of their own pickup LAPV.

Now with the lack of the protective armour, Fang instantly aimed his M4 out the now non-existent side door, swiftly pulling the trigger to spray bullets out the gap…

He manged to shoot most of his magazine with a deafening number of gunshots, successfully putting down two of the mammals on the flatbed truck who hadn't taken cover in time-

But he was abruptly stopped when the rear window beside him was suddenly smashed through by the large balled up tan coloured paw of the lion that had traversed to their vehicle, swiftly catching Fang off guard…

Especially when the lions paw was quickly clamped around his neck.

The commotion behind made Judy turn her head… only just in time to see her Wolf comrade being pulled harshly from his neck through the rear window;

"Fang!-"

* * *

Less than a mile down the highway, Nick was still dangling from the edge of the trailer of the armoured semi-truck, the harsh pull of all his weight being felt around his wrist from where the strap of his watch was snagged on one of the sheared pieces of metal…

Straining what was left of his strength, in an endeavour to get himself out of this predicament, Nick slowly pulled his other arm up to clasp onto the top edge of the shipping container, holding on as tightly as possible before attempting to unsnag his digital timepiece… thanking his lucky stars that the strap had somehow managed to take his weight.

His breath was still coming out in heavy pants. It was in this moment Nick realised how thirsty he was, considering the dryness of his wheezes… his exhaustion was almost as painful as his injuries.

So he closed his eyes, as he mouthed silently to himself;

"Don't let it get to you… don't let it get to you…"

Not that he could hear his own words with the rushing wind still impairing his hearing… but the assured self-confidence of his own private mantra he was forcing on himself was in an attempt to summon the strength he needed to pull himself up…

Which he soon found, as his dangling feet finally landed against something to stand on: another one of the container's armour plates, still mostly attached to it. Making himself (mostly) stable, Nick unsnagged his watch strap, freeing his arm from its quandary and planted his left paw beside his right on the edge of the trailer to hold himself firm till he attempted to climb back on the roof…

* * *

Upfront in the truck cab, Mitchell had eased off the accelerator compared to holding it against the floor at the triple digit speed they had been travelling only a minute before. The rig was struggling now, barely breaking 60mph… Simply for the fact that if its twin turbo diesel engine sounded stressed earlier, it was going through a crisis now.

The front of the truck had (obviously) seen the worst damage; the forward mounted ram had been crumpled under the impact and now several bars of steel reinforcement were hanging off it, making sparks as they scraped across the asphalt roadway. The engine compartment too was partly crumpled, but had been spared anything worse from the modified reinforced bodywork, but it was obvious from the current sound it was making that some of the engine components were damaged. As for the rest of the truck, one of the rear wheels of the tractor unit had been ripped clean off the axle, both of the exhaust stacks and the mounted minigun had been decapitated from the cab's roof, though horn remained intact, and several of the makeshift steel armour plates had been stripped away with countless scratch marks gouged across the body work and the shipping container trailer.

They might not have stopped and paid the fee, but the tolling station had certainly taken its toll on the truck, as it was chugging along clearly on its last legs…

And Roan could hear it, putting him in an uneasy temperamental mood… something which he really didn't like. I didn't help that the Honey-Badger beside him wore an anxious half-frown on his muzzle too as he fiddled with the trucks controls… Mitchell was an experience truck driver, and if he was worried at the wheel, Roan knew he should be too.

As he sat in the front passenger seat, he checked his ammunition… swiftly throwing aside his M320 grenade launcher having used each of the 40mm explosives, then loading his last magazine into his Tavor assault rifle, while his Desert Eagle pistol still had four rounds, ones which he would rather keep.

He sat there for a moment, in silence… carefully analysing the facts in his calculated mind, and quickly coming to the conclusion that there was more than a slight chance he could lose this battle…

But he would make sure he'd win the war.

…

Without turning his head to face him, Roan spoke to the Honey-Badger beside him;

"Jam the throttle, and keep your radio close…" he said calmly, "… I'm going back to arm the bomb-"

"Now? …" Mitchell queried nervously, "…Roan we're still five miles out, it's too early-"

"You and I both know that engine could die at any moment," Roan interrupted forcefully, "I think given the circumstances I'm going to take this risk…" he now turned to face his converser, "… you got a problem with that?"

"… No…"

"Plus, it has a timer," Roan looked away, "… and I'm pretty sure whatever's left of the ZPD will be waiting for us when we get there-"

"What if they try to disarm it?-"

"They won't disarm it." Roan answered firmly, "… But until we get to Central Square, I don't care if you fall out the cab or take a bullet to the head, Mitchell… you _do not_ stop this truck. Understand?"

"Yes sir…"

Roan leaned to open the passenger door, carefully placing a foot out to begin traversing back to the trailer;

"Keep it steady," he voiced to the driver.

Mitchell didn't respond verbally, only kept his paws firmly on the steering wheel to prevent any sudden jerks as the Panther climbed around the outside of the cab, carefully making his way back to the trailer… And as soon as Roan was clear, Mitchell carefully applied pressure to the accelerator pedal before engaging the manual pedal lock he had installed as an improvised cruise control… keeping the rig at one solid speed until they reached their destination.

Now all Mitchell had to do was get them there.

…

* * *

Having closed some of the gap due to their faster speed, the two pursuing cops were only half a mile behind them-

But Judy and Fang were otherwise occupied: struggling against their newest assailants of the flatbed truck and opposing LAPV…

* * *

Fang had dropped his rifle in the rear seat, left unarmed as the lion that had dragged him through the rear window out to the pickup bed still had a firm grip around his throat. The large feline was about to throw him off the back of the vehicle-

But was abruptly stopped when Judy had quickly rammed on the brakes, having been looking behind at her comrade's predicament… her swift and simple manoeuvre threw the lion off balance till he fell against the broken rear window, and subsequently releasing the Wolf from his grip…

* * *

Unfortunately, Judy's sudden slam of the brakes meant that now the opposing armoured car had pulled in front of them, while the 10 wheeler flatbed truck had matched her sudden braking, staying just behind them on the speeding roadway.

Once again, Judy was forced to duck away from her broken window when the mammal in gunner position of the other LAPV: a grey she-wolf, began to fire directly at her with an MG36. Flinching mildly as the bullets impacted and ricocheted off her door and the window frame, Judy reached for her PPK pistol, waiting until the she-wolf broke her aim to fire back…

But she never broke it, continuing to aim at Judy for whenever the Bunny made a move, fairly confident that she had plenty of ammunition in the drum magazine of her rifle.

Therefore, risking getting herself shot (again), Judy rapidly aimed her pistol through her broken window, firing off what was left of her current magazine, of which her measly 9mm bullets did very little to harm the opposing armoured car… and she was almost instantly forced against her will to hold fire, both from the she-wolf's returned gunfire, but also when she noticed the slide was fully pulled back on her pistol, indicating her empty magazine…

It was nice that the ZPD SWAT department had managed to find a lethal firearm small enough for her to use, even with its additional modification for her small paws… but having not nearly as much ammunition was almost not worth it in a situation like this.

Nevertheless Judy reached for another magazine…

Only with none left to find… the one in her gun had been her last-

* * *

Fang was still reeling from his unexpected choking, his neck aching as the lion's grip on him had been rather strong even after he had been let go.

Despite this, he turned around to face the lion, who had went to grab his neck again… Except Fang pushed it away with his left paw, throwing his right paw into one strong uppercut to the underside of the big cat's jaw.

His punch was sound, but it did little to break the lion down:

The feline swiftly responded by grabbing Fang's balled up paw immediately after taking the punch, using that as leverage on the Wolf to lift him over and pin him against the back of the truck canopy.

Fang flinched as he was thrown against the hard, bullet riddled metal, feeling the lion attempt to choke him again… but he had only grabbed the collar of his shirt, making the Wolf flinch a second time when the lion roared directly in his face…

Fang instantly responded by bearing his teeth and growled loudly himself as he cruelly lifted his right paw to the lions face and jabbed one of his claws straight into his left eye-

Which after the initial roar of pain and small splatter of blood from his gouged eye, the lion swiftly shoved his paw against the Wolf's throat, almost as much to crush his windpipe…

* * *

While Judy had tried to find another (non-existent) magazine for her gun, she snapped her head up from her empty bandolier, looking forwards out the cracked front windscreen as she heard a thud on the armoured bonnet…

The opposing LAPV had merged over to her right side and a cheetah had emerged from the rear driver side door, jumping over to board the front of the vehicle-

With a chainsaw of all things… the malignant logging device already whirring loudly, ready to cut its way into the vehicle…

But Judy put a quick stop to that.

She turned the steering wheel sharply to the right, simultaneously ramming the other LAPV, almost pitting it, and also throwing the cheetah off balance, making him drop his chainsaw as he fell to his right… but he still managed to cling onto the bonnet, clawing into the metal before he fell completely, now hanging off the left side of the vehicle…

* * *

Behind her, Judy was unaware that her action had also assisted Fang's predicament.

The sudden rightwards jerk of the vehicle had knocked the lion completely off balance, now leaning precariously over the side of the vehicle- which, with some further assistance from Fang as he pushed him… forced the lion to fall from the LAPV onto the speeding roadway behind them…

Except that he nearly dragged Fang with him… now he himself was dangling from the side of the vehicle, hanging on for his life while trying to pull himself back up with no assistance available from his legs as he was hanging right next to the rear wheel.

Fang quickly glanced to his right, seeing the 10-wheeler flatbed truck directly behind…

And a callous smile on the wolverine driver, as all of a sudden the truck merged into the adjacent lane, creating a loud burst of revs from the engine when the mustelid slammed down on the accelerator… attempting the crush the canine cop against the vehicle-

Giving Fang all the motivation he needed to pull himself up to the safety of the truck bed…

* * *

Up in front and unaware, and seeing the dangling cheetah try to reach through her broken window to maul her, Judy opened her driver side door, lifting her good left leg to give it a firm kick to swing open fully, making the slab of aluminium armour plating clap the dangling cheetah in the head and consequently forcing him to fall off the car and underneath the rear wheels.

Judy tried to lean over to close her door-

But the abrupt cringe-worthy noise of metal scraping against metal caught her attention as the armoured car was shunted sideways by the flatbed truck.

Judy only just brought her arm back inside when the truck passed by, pushing her door further forward than it was meant to, breaking it from its hinges and exposing her position far more than her broken window had already done.

Now she had no door, and no protection…

* * *

As the truck had rammed them, the single mammal left on the flatbed: a snow leopard, had jumped from the truck over to their vehicle, swiftly engaging the Wolf cop before he had chance to recover from pulling himself up from nearly getting crushed…

Fang had only just turned around to face his newest assailant when he heard the thud as the snow leopard landed-

Instantly taking a punch to the muzzle, knocking his head against the hardened bodywork of the armoured car when he suddenly found himself hesitating to act first. It was an involuntary action, having felt a weird sensation of seeing a snow leopard considering the fact that he was in love with one…

Except that she was miles away now, and this one before him was male… and was currently trying to kill him-

Especially when he suddenly pulled out an extendable baton… and immediately swung it down, colliding against Fang's side as he failed to react again.

He cringed had as the steel pole hit him, but he swiftly roused himself to fight back…

When the snow leopard went to strike his head next, Fang stopped it prematurely as he lifted his right arm to block the feline's arm before the baton hit him… swiftly following with a jab to the leopard's right side…

But as the feline flinched, he grabbed harshly at the back of the Wolf's neck, digging his claws in and pulling Fang's head backwards-

But he clearly underestimated the Wolf's strength as Fang thrust his leg between the snow leopard's, swiftly tripping him as the Wolf pried the collapsible nightstick from the feline's right paw whilst the snow leopard's left paw ripped the fur from the back of the Wolf's neck… both of them falling against the canopy of the LAPV.

Immediately after he landed, Fang swung the baton against the snow leopard's side, striking him directly as the feline released a snarl of anguish.

Fang went for another swing of the nightstick-

Instead this time the snow leopard caught his arm, pushing Fang away so he had his back to the feline, who then proceeded to grab him from behind.

Fang threw his left elbow behind him as his attacker grabbed him… luckily for him it struck the snow leopard directly in the muzzle, knocking him backwards… until he was knocked down further onto one knee from a sudden jerk of armoured car…

But the Wolf cop had kept his balance, and proceeded to finish him.

Fang raised the extendable baton in his right paw…

And began to repeatedly strike the snow leopard's head till the metallic telescopic stick was covered in his blood, and the feline was barely moving-

* * *

After snapping off her door, the flatbed truck had stayed adjacent to the LAPV.

Judy repeatedly rammed the side of the truck to try and force them away, but every shunt nearly knocked herself out of the vehicle with no door left to stop her falling out, and the snide wolverine driver of the truck pushed against every shove she made, consistently matching whatever pressure Judy was putting on the throttle…

And she knew why.

Judy could see the serval in the passenger seat of the truck, armed with and currently loading an MP7 submachine gun… readying to gun her down.

She moved as far away from the open gap beside her as she could on her oversized seat, knowing full well she couldn't return fire: she was out of ammo… but with a quick glance into the foot well beneath her, Judy's eyes locked on a G26 pistol (dropped there by the previous driver when the vehicle was hijacked)… and it was loaded too.

To give herself the chance to reach it, she held tightly to the steering wheel as she dragged it to the left, ramming into the side of the 10-wheeler once more, and knocking the serval shooter backwards to further halt his shooting as he was waiting for a clear shot on her...

And he was soon to wish he had shot much sooner.

With no hesitation, Judy reached her left paw down into the foot well beneath her, almost having to completely climb down from the seat due to her smaller size… and grabbed hold of the small 9mm pistol with a vice-like grip before she aimed through her missing door-

Shocking the serval shooter at the sudden appearance of the Bunny with the gun… though he wasn't shocked for much longer.

Judy pulled the trigger repeatedly, firing all 10 rounds of the pistol into the cab of the flatbed truck, gutting the serval through with a splatter of blood, with several of the bullets passing through to strike the wolverine driver-

Except it didn't kill him, but the mustelid had been hit bad in his side, enough to make him lose control of the vehicle…

Which Judy immediately took advantage of:

Dropping the empty pistol, she placed both paws back on steering wheel… pulling away from the truck slightly, before ramming it again… this time _much_ harder.

So hard in fact, that the flatbed truck not only scrapped along the concrete barrier of the median strip of the highway, the left wheels mounted it… leaving the wolverine powerless to break away before the front of the vehicle collided into the centre column of one of the motorway overpasses-

Judy felt sick to her stomach when she heard a horrific scream come from the wolverine… moments before the truck slammed directly into the concrete column of the bridge, crushing the entire front of the vehicle as its rear end lifted up and flipped over behind them to roll across the rest of the roadway, tearing itself apart and strewing its mangled wreckage across the asphalt…

* * *

The abrupt noise of tearing metal and smashing glass startled the Wolf.

Fang recoiled backwards from the edge of LAPV's rear bed as the sudden jerk of the vehicle saw the lifeless snow leopard fall from the side onto the roadway amongst the wreckage of the flatbed truck.

As he looked back down the road at Judy's aggressive act of road rage… Fang placed the extendable baton into a pocket of his gear, thinking the weapon would be useful for later, and continued to watch the wreckage of the truck until it stopped moving… in that moment Fang made a life rule to never ever get on that Bunny's bad side…

But soon he was about to forever remain on her good side.

He stood up shakily on the moving vehicle, turning his attention to the remaining vehicle on their right: the opposing LAPV…

Seeing the she-wolf gunner aiming a P99 pistol out the rear driver side door-

The only thing Fang heard through the rushing wind around him was the crack of a gunshot… and a loud gasp from his own maw when a sudden spike of merciless pain pierced his right shoulder as the bullet tore through the unprotected part of his ballistic vest, the force of the round knocking him backwards on his precarious position on the back of the LAPV-

* * *

Judy heard the shot from the she-wolf's gun… and Fang's following gasp of pain behind her.

That quickly attained her attention to the other vehicle that was left-

And instantly she turned the steering wheel to the right in another act of road rage to ram the side of the other armoured car…

Except, that was exactly what the she-wolf had expected her to do.

As Judy had rammed the side of the LAPV, it broke off the open left side rear door the she-wolf had been aiming out of… the open gap now lining up perfectly with the missing right side rear door on the Bunny's LAPV… which the canine swiftly made use of: to jump the gap over the speeding roadway from her vehicle to other….

The thump she made when climbing inside caused Judy to turn behind her-

Coming face to face with the barrel of a gun, giving her no time to react but to simply turn her head away and prepare for the end-

* * *

Fighting off the pain of the bullet in his shoulder, Fang dragged himself back up as the vehicle rocked violently sideways once more.

He turned his attention to the inside of the LAPV, seeing the she-wolf that had just shot him had climbed inside with a gun that was quickly pointed at Judy's head…

He wasted no time.

Diving back through the broken rear window, Fang violently tackled the she-wolf, forcing her gun away as she pulled the trigger-

All three mammals in the car were momentarily deafened when the shot rang out.

Judy's heart almost stopped from shock as she felt the bullet skim past her right cheek, partly scorching the fur on her face where it carried on out of the car through her missing door… while behind her in the rears seats, the pained and exhausted White Wolf struggled against the grey she-wolf…

As soon as Fang had pushed the gun from aiming at Judy, the she-wolf jabbed her left paw into his neck, forcing him away from her before swinging her gun to pistol whip him in the muzzle.

She then went to shoot the Bunny again but a sudden jerk of the vehicle threw off her aim as Judy turned the steering wheel sharply to the right, also rousing Fang to tackle the other canine again just as the she re-affixed her aim on the Rabbit-

Fang instantly grabbed hold of the pistol, pulling it towards himself and away from Judy as it fired- deafening all of them again with a ringing in their ears…

Fang growled in pain again as the bullet struck the front plate of his bulletproof vest-

But the blunt trauma from that is what hurt the least.

His right paw had been clamped over the slide of the handgun as it had fired, burning his paw and ripping his fur, skin and pawpads as the slide pulled back and the expended cartridge was ejected from the weapon…

To prevent Judy or him from being shot again, in his pained fury, Fang instantly swung an uppercut the she-wolf's jaw, knocking her backwards before snatching her P99 from her right paw and turning her own weapon on her… shooting what was left of the magazine into the she-wolf's chest before kicking her out the side of the vehicle through the same gap she had entered-

"Fu*kin bitch!" Fang roared angrily as he threw the empty gun aside and clutched his injured paw to his chest, releasing breaths and grunts of anguish through his gritted teeth.

…

Judy initially ignored him, for the main fact that she couldn't hear him as her ears were still ringing from the gunshots, and also because she was focussed on the other LAPV that was still beside them on their right. Although she only had to deal with the vehicle itself as it was only the driver left inside, even though Judy couldn't see who or what species of mammal was at the steering wheel…

But was clearly someone who knew nothing about police chase tactics, as Judy pressed the brake slightly till she was just behind the other LAPV, and proceeded to perform an imperfect pit manoeuvre.

 _Imperfect_ , as she had rammed far harder than she ought to… enough to make the opposing LAPV roll onto its two right side wheels as it swerved in front, eventually flipping onto its side as Judy pressed down on the throttle to ram it once more… where its continued momentum forced the enemy armoured car to continue rolling across the asphalt and out of the way.

Although unlike the other vehicles of the criminal convoy, the bodywork became warped and dented rather than stripping itself apart until it came to a stop on its side…

Judy looked behind out her missing door, seeing the result-

And fairly certain the other LAPV wasn't going to be bothering them again.

…

With that dealt with, Judy turned her attention back to the road ahead, seeing that during the scuffle between the three vehicles, they had now caught up to the armoured semi-truck, which was barely two hundred meters ahead, and the gap still closing. To her relief, she could see Nick, affirming her belief that he had survived the truck's violent impact at the toll station… even if he was dangling from the side of the trailer, pulling himself back up.

Judy managed the pedals carefully, moving to match the speed of the rig… still cringing from her pained right leg as she glanced down to see her formerly clean bandage was mildly stained from her re-opened wound…

But she wasn't the only one in the car fighting off some considerable pain right now.

Judy could hear her Wolf companion behind her in the rear seat, breathing heavily from the burned and avulsed wound to his paw. She turned her head to look, seeing Fang leaning against the back seat, his eyes squinting and teeth gritted while his right paw was bleeding like faucet into the fur on his arm, only to further redden the dried blood that was already there as he had raised it to his chest to try and reduce the bleeding.

Judy honestly felt guilty, knowing Fang had sustained that injury as a result of saving her life… so when he eventually looked up at her she made clear her gratitude with a sincere beholden expression;

"Thanks…" she said genuinely, "… I owe you one…"

"I'll hold you to that," Fang tried to joke through his pained breaths, "… Though after all this bullsh*t I think we're probably even-" he made another sudden wince from the pain.

"You're hurt-"

"I'll manage…" Fang shoved Judy's concern away, "… But…" he exasperated, as he picked up his previously dropped rifle, "… I can't shoot with my paw like this…"

As Fang made another pained grimace, Judy turned her attention forwards with a quick check on the distance between them and the truck so as to manage her speed. Then she glanced down at the mostly clean bandage around her leg. Even if her gunshot wound had re-opened and was bleeding, only the bottom layer was stained with her blood… and her injured friend needed it more.

Keeping her left paw on the wheel, Judy began to claw at the bandage with her right paw to rip it off, successfully taking off the first layer;

"Here…" she gestured, holding out the strip of cloth to the Wolf in the backseat, "… It's better than nothing-"

* * *

Just ahead of the two pursuing police officers, inside the trailer of the armoured semi-truck, the frustrated female Coyote peered through one of open tears in the metal of the shipping container made from its collision with the toll gate security doors. With just enough space between where she could get a good eye out, Madelyn could see the commandeered LAPV following behind them…

She boiled over with hatred as she saw who was in the driver's seat of it: the bold Bunny cop who had assaulted her at the start of the day, the same one she had shot-

And she intended to finish the job.

Madelyn turned away from the gap, looking across the inside of the shipping container at the only other mammal inside. Jason was currently leaning on the opposite wall of the trailer, his tail between his legs, obviously shaken by the events that had previously transpired even in the relative safety of the inside of the trailer.

He wasn't a fighter, preferring himself to help those who were, hence why he was a doctor… but while Madelyn respected him and was grateful for his care to her wounds, she couldn't care less about his feelings… her deathly gaze instantly shifted to the monstrous weapon that the Wolf was leaning beside: GAU-19 .50 calibre gatling gun, mounted and positioned ready to shoot out the rear doors of the trailer.

It was their secret, last resort weapon, if they were being chased by an entire armada of police vehicles… though considering the circumstances, Madelyn figured now was the time to use it…

Especially since it was the perfect weapon for her to vent her bottled up frustration.

She turned to Jason, demanding;

"Is that loaded?" she nodded towards it.

"Yea…" the Wolf replied.

A callous and snide smile slowly formed on Madelyn's muzzle as she stood up, and immediately grabbed the trigger of the weapon before ordering Jason to;

"Open the doors…"

* * *

Behind them in the commandeered LAPV, Fang instantly took Judy's offer, reaching forward to take the stripped bandage to wrap around his severely injured right paw.

It wouldn't do much… still, it would do enough-

But before he could thank her, his attention was immediately brought to the sight through the cracked windscreen as the double steel doors at the rear of the trailer truck they were following abruptly swung open;

"Judy!"

Her head snapped forwards, instantly muttering;

"You've gotta be kidding me…" as her eyes widened in shock and ears drooped in dread as Judy too took sight of the .50 calibre death machine that was pointed at them…

With its three rotary barrels already at full spin-

"Get down!" Fang yelled…

As a thunderous buzzing roar and a cone of fire erupted from the barrel of the minigun.

The Wolf and the Rabbit dropped below the dashboard, staying as low as possible considering the only thing capable of stopping the deadly metal ogives from tearing them apart was the tougher front armour of the vehicle and engine block itself… and even that wouldn't last long under this barrage…

The bullets shredded through the vehicle as Judy and Fang took shelter and prayed they didn't get hit themselves in their moving target practice… cutting through the already severely weakened bullet resistant glass and armour as if it wasn't even there to begin with, ripping hundreds of holes through the armoured car.

Judy dared to grab hold of the steering wheel and began turning side to side to try and shake off some of the gunfire-

* * *

But Madelyn just followed every movement the LAPV made, aiming the GAU-19 on its swivel mount, keeping a firm grip on the trigger with the snide smile on her muzzle growing slowly bigger as she enjoyed every moment of unleashing her rage from the .50 calibre death machine…

* * *

Nevertheless, Judy still tussled with the steering wheel, turning to and fro as the relentless steam of metallic missiles flayed through their car, and any shots that missed gouged into the roadway around them, creating hundreds of potholes in the tarmac…

But the bullets weren't the only problem.

As the gatling gun continued to roar, the many expended bullet casings fell from the back of the truck, coating the road with hundreds of slippery brass cylinders.

Judy had somehow, despite not being able to see where she was steering, been able to keep control of the car, swerving side to side-

Until the wheels started to roll over the torrent of bullet casings, and after making one turn too far on the steering wheel, the LAPV span out of control, and ploughed front first into the concrete retention wall at the side of the road…

Which is where it stayed as the armoured semi-truck rolled onwards.

Onwards to Savanna Central.

…

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everybody, left it to the end this time… This is the end to this three-part chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed it because I had this action sequence planned out for months before actually getting to write it, so don't hesitate to tell me what you think. However, it's not over yet… there is still more to come ;) we're so close to the end now!**

 **Speaking of... Next chapter I'm still planning to upload next week, but after that I'm not sure when the next one will be coming out unfortunately. Hopefully not longer than two weeks but as I'm still writing it I can't really say, and my progress in the last couple of weeks has been, in short: sloppy. Basically due to busy schedules, other commitments and some lack of motivation… and honestly a couple of hangovers- BUT! I guarantee I am going to see this story through to the end, no matter how far-fetched, over-the-top or riddled with clichés it might get… but still full of action, and other stuff… but you'll have to wait and find out ;)**


	29. Chapter 28

**A/N: Hey all you wonderful readers! … I'll get straight to the point: this will be the last chapter for two weeks at the _very_ least. I'm still writing the next chapter, and it's getting so long I'm debating whether or not to split it into parts like the previous three chapters. I would rather not do that, but I'll see what happens, because I just want to make sure it's as good as possible, so if it ends up being more than two weeks till the next chapter upload I do wholeheartedly apologise… I know it's not nice to be left hanging, and I've done it a lot in this story, but as I said in my note last chapter, I will see this through to the end… and I hope you all will too :)**

 **Either way, do enjoy this next chapter! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think… and once again, thank you all for reading, following, favouriting, and especially those of you who reviewed. I'm honestly flattered that I've reached triple digits for all three: reviews, favourites and follows… I can't thank each of you enough for that. I would send a thank you PM to each of you personally, but that would take up the time I need to finish writing this story, and I think I know which one you'd all prefer ;)**

 **Anyway, I'll shut up rambling now... read on, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 28

 ** _'Storm at the End of the World'_**

* * *

An ominous silence encapsulated the city as the great tempest loomed…

It wouldn't be long now.

* * *

Judy groaned as she slowly lifted herself from the foot well of the driver's seat from when she was thrown forward by the crash, lifting a paw to her throbbing head. She'd hit it against something when they had crashed, enough for her to wipe a small slither of blood from the fur on her brow.

A pained gasp escaped her lips when she tried to stand, forgetting in the moment the handicap of her wounded right leg;

"Don't let it get to you, don't give up…" she whispered to herself, a combined phrase of one of her own and that of her vulpine partner's personal mantras, and repeated: "Don't let it get to you, don't give up…"

Upholding her determination, and affirming herself…. Judy mentally fought against her pain, and climbed back into the driver's seat of the armoured car, and could now overhear the inaudible groans of her follow officer;

"Fang… you ok?" the Rabbit asked concernedly behind her.

There was a pause, followed by an uncertain;

"I think so," the Wolf replied, "I can just about feel all five limbs…"

"Your tail doesn't count as a limb Fang,"

"Whatever..."

Fang leant up from the floor before the rear seats and propped himself up to lean against them, rubbing his own head with his left paw while the short piece of the bandage Judy had ripped from her leg was hanging from his right paw as he didn't have enough time to wrap it properly before the gatling gun was unleased on them…

But they had both survived the relentless storm of .50 calibre shells, and were still determined to continue the chase despite their crash.

The question was whether or not the LAPV itself had survived.

As Judy had sat herself back in her seat, she noticed the state of their vehicle: holes had been blasted through almost everywhere in the bodywork and the windscreen was completely smashed apart and gone, turning the car into an automotive version of holey cheese… and severely reducing the safety of it two occupants from gunfire even of a smaller calibre firearm now.

Nevertheless, Judy placed her feet back on the pedals, with the surprisingly intact steering wheel right in front of her, and leaned forward to press the engine start button-

But barely a churn came from the engine… so she pressed it again;

"Come on," the Bunny mumbled as the engine turned over, but failed to start.

Judy pressed the button again, applying far more pressure as if it would jolt the engine to life… and yet it still failed to fire up. The gunfire from the semi-truck's marauding secret weapon had certainly taken its toll… until Judy pressed the button the fourth time, and pleaded with the vehicle when the engine churned as she yelled;

"Come on! Start!-"

A wounded growl came from underneath the dented hood of the LAPV as its twin turbo diesel engine finally clawed onto some life… except it was clear from the disgruntled chugging hum that it had not fared well, and was strained to take the car any further…

But whether it could manage or not, like its two law enforcement occupants, it had to go on.

Even so, Fang still commented;

"That doesn't sound healthy-"

"As long as it moves it'll do." Judy said firmly, before placing the gear stick into reverse and slowly retrieving the front of the LAPV from the concrete retention wall at the side of the road, and swiftly changed into first; "But we can't take another round from that gun-"

"I deal with that," Fang affirmed, loading the last 40mm grenade into the underbarrel M203 of his rifle, "Just drive, and keep it steady,"

…

* * *

Further ahead of them, the armoured semi-truck now rose from the concrete trough as the Zootopia Loop Highway ascended from the ground, and back onto its raised road bridge to travel above and in between the buildings of the Savanna Central District, approaching ever closer to Central Square.

Nick had finally summoned the strength to pull himself from his precarious dangling position on the side of the trailer truck, climbing the side of the shipping container to reach the roof. He practically flopped down on his front while he panted out his exhaustion and the harsh wind rushed against him… even the cold uncomfortable bare metal seemed a suitable place to rest his weary self, close his eyes and catch his breath...

Except the Fox's open mouthed wheezes further dried out his breath, worsening his dehydration and wishing for anything liquid to quench his thirst… leading Nick to openly beg to himself with a muffled mumble;

"I'd… give anything… for some water right now…"

…

A rumble of thunder was the world's reply…

And Nick suddenly felt several petite spots fall upon his exposed fur and SWAT gear… a pleasant, cooling, watery sensation that eventually permeated through his fur to his skin.

Nick opened his eyes, seeing across the trailer roof, the mysterious moist marks were appearing everywhere, darkening the bare steel as it slowly soaked it, generating a gentle pitter-patter sound against the metal…

And Nick finally realised what it was:

Rain.

…

It was quickly growing heavier.

And the wind against him was growing stronger.

In the heat of the situation of the roadway battle, having been fighting the entire time he had been travelling on the rig, Nick had forgotten the other enemy they were facing that day:

Mother Nature herself.

…

And his stomach dropped like a ten tonne weight when he looked further up, into the sky ahead… having wished for some water and been given it, but not in any way how he wanted it… Nick grumbled to himself uneasily;

"That's not what I meant…"

* * *

On the road behind, the commandeered LAPV now ascended onto the raised road bridge of the Inter-District Highway… both the Rabbit and the Wolf cop looking forward through the non-existent windscreen as the rain began to fly through, becoming stunned with a sense of dread at the sight of the sky ahead.

Judy didn't say a word as her ears drooped behind her head, her eyes fixed firmly on the sight in front of her with her nose involuntarily twitching… but she didn't relent from pressing the throttle, meanwhile Fang readied his rifle, his ears folding back against his skull, anxiously murmuring out;

"Holy god…"

* * *

On his climb across the vehicle, Roan had stopped in the gap between the tractor and the trailer to observe the gift the world had given him.

He gazed at the sky ahead of them, feeling uneasy, with his fur standing on end… as any mammal would at the sight of such a monstrous squall, the natural instinct to seek shelter taking over...

But this did nothing to diminish the feeling of fulfilment enveloping the Panther as he gazed at the sky, knowing that the world itself was on his side, affirming his belief that what he was doing was the right thing to do, for the good of all mammals…

Even if sacrifices had to be made.

* * *

As Nick was looking forward at the malicious sky ahead, he diverted his attention when he saw the Panther make the climb back to the trailer, realising that now the only mammal left in the cab was the Honey-Badger driver, alone.

Nick knew, he _had_ to make use of this chance.

But as Roan disappeared from view and entered the shipping container beneath him, Nick was left to wonder what the feline was doing. He shuffled over, still lying on his front on the trailer roof to peer through one of the holes made by the Coyote's shotgun, witnessing below the Panther's actions…

* * *

As soon as he entered, Roan first of all checked on the welfare of the two occupants inside after the truck's lengthy beating… seeing at the opposite end of the trailer, his Coyote mate, and the Wolf standing quite firmly with the rear doors of the trailer still open, and the GAU-19 gatling gun still aiming out the back…

They appeared to be more than fine.

So Roan then turned his attention to the state of his cargo:

A chaotic jumble of all kinds of wires, all of which leading to blasting caps embedded in lumps of C4 plastic explosive, moulded around the pressure valve of every single one of the countless amount of gas canisters filled with the vicious Nighthowler gas, stacked together in racks against the sides of the trailer, wired to explode first as the initial improvised chemical bomb-

Followed by four 2000lb Mark 84 bombs, with their tail section removed, linked together to explode simultaneously a millisecond after the C4 to disseminate the gas explosively once it had been released, without any loss of quantity due the toxin being inert and non-flammable…

And the entire thing was all connected to a single car battery, a mangled mess of a car fuse box… and a single touchscreen LED display, gutted and modified from what used to be an iCarrot smartphone.

Despite the persistent ramming and rocking of the trailer and the collision at the toll station, the cargo had stayed relatively in place with the exception of a few leaning gas canisters. Everything had been fixed down solidly prior to their departure from the construction site back in Happytown to prevent any unexpected and premature detonation…

Which was the same reason Roan had implemented the procedure he was about to perform:

He moved through the jumble of toxic gas cans, wires and explosives till he reached the small device of the dismembered smartphone amongst the mess… and pressed the home button-

The display instantly lit up, opening to a lock screen with a digital 0-9 number pad with the words above saying:

* * *

 _Enter Access Code:_

* * *

Roan typed in the numbers:

* * *

 _2-1-8-7_

* * *

The number pad faded away, and was replaced by three more words that was Roan's assurance the explosives could only be armed (and disarmed) by him, and him only:

* * *

 _Apply Iris Scan:_

* * *

Roan placed his right eye in line with the iris scanner embedded in the eviscerated smartphone, waiting the necessary time for it to scan his eye…

And his presence had now been noticed by the other two mammals in the trailer;

"Roan," it was Jason who turned round first to question the Panther, "…what are you doing?"

"Starting Judgement Day…" he answered coldly, without turning his head.

Madelyn didn't say a word, and only made a minor malicious smirk on her muzzle as she watched her husband instigate the final step of their plot after all this planning… finally it was coming to fruition…

And the quietness inside the trailer allowed Roan to continue his sentence, speaking malevolently;

"… And _nothing_ , and _no-one_ , is going to stop it-"

* * *

 _Detonation Sequence Initiated:_

 _\- - : - -_

 _15:00_

 _…_

 _14:59_

 _…_

 _14:58_

 _…_

 _14:57_

 _…_

* * *

Above on the trailer roof, the Fox cop had continued to spy on the Panther… although limited by the small size of the gap, and that Roan's head had been blocking his view, Nick couldn't see what he was doing…

But now that the Panther had moved away from the disembowelled smartphone screen, Nick's stomach dropped even further than it already had before, filling with dread as he saw the countdown timer.

…

And as the world rumbled stridently with a flash of white light, Nick lifted his head from peeking through the hole to gaze once again at the superstorm, lifting an arm to shield his face from the relentless stream of watery daggers attacking him, and folding his ears back in apprehension from the deathly shrill of the wailing wind:

The entire sky had been claimed behind the looming darkness, turning the former great azure canvas into a puffed expanse of black and grey… enough to dim the light of the sun as if the omnipotent glowing orb had died and been buried six feet under the horizon, defeated- murdered, by the overwhelming midday nightfall as the menacing clouds of the storm front expanded over the city… occasionally illuminated by flashes of white as forks of lighting split the heavens apart, followed by booming cannonades of deafening thunder enough to cause even the bravest of souls to cower in fear from the wrath of Mother Nature.

…

It truly was the harbinger of the apocalypse.

…

And in the distance, amongst the other structures, Nick could see the towering monolith of City Hall-

Just as it was claimed behind the thick rainfall and heavy fog of the great tempest.

…

Time was running out. Quite literally now.

…

* * *

 **SAVANNA CENTRAL 3**

* * *

: The latest overhead sign displayed… as the unstoppable armoured semi-truck rolled onwards along the Inter-District Highway, undeterred and unopposed, towards Central Square and the malevolent superstorm-

While not far behind them, the bullet riddled LAPV was quickly closing the gap…

…

Still fighting through the throbbing pain of her injured leg, the sharp wind and daggers of rain flying into her face through the broken windscreen, Judy didn't take her foot off the throttle or her eyes off the road ahead… with that same expression of angered determination of her face, keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel to keep the vehicle as steady as possible on the gradually dampening road.

Fang was still in the back seat, although leaning through the gap between the two front seats, aiming out the non-existent windscreen with the last grenade and last magazine loaded in his M4 grenadier. He had been forced to use it left-pawed due to his inability to grip the trigger with his maimed right paw, but regardless, he still held the weapon firm in his grasp, aiming directly at the open rear doors of the trailer truck where the mounted gatling gun that shredded their car was located…

"How's your shot?" Judy asked him.

Fang replied confidently; "Good enough-"

* * *

Inside the trailer, the presence of the damaged armoured car following them had not gone unnoticed;

"They're back…" Jason announced as he peered through the rear doors.

Madelyn turned her head to see, completely baffled how the two cops had survived her onslaught from the .50 calibre death machine. She let out a short growl before she grumbled;

"That Bunny bitch just doesn't know when to quit…"

As he was closer, Jason took to the controls of the GAU-19 and pressed on the left trigger that activated the electric motor…

But the three rotary barrels barely had chance to spin-

* * *

With his affixed aim, Fang fired his underbarrel grenade launcher, sending the explosive towards the rear of the truck-

* * *

Jason was just about to press the trigger of the .50 calibre death machine when the Wolf cop's grenade impacted and exploded directly beside him to his left, barely letting out a cry as his fur was scorched from the flash flame and shards of shrapnel eviscerated his flesh, fairly quickly killing him… especially as he fell to his side and off the end of the open trailer-

And consequently dragging the mounted minigun with him, the loose weapon falling out the back of the trailer as the dead wolf had leant on it as the explosion also shattered the GUA-19's swivel mount that attached it to the truck… and the Wolf cop's grenade had also done further damage: obliterating the top hinge of the left door of the shipping container which, with its heavy armour modification, fell down to scrape across the dampened asphalt and drag from the back of the truck on its surviving bottom hinge.

Madelyn was thrown backwards from the blast, letting out a shocked yelp as she was forced off her feet with her head to collide against one of the Nighthowler gas canisters-

Without a dither in his movement, Roan instantly rushed to her aid… becoming joyfully relieved once he'd kneeled down to her that she was ok; as the Wolf had taken the brunt of the explosion the worst she had sustained were several non-threatening cuts and grazes and the swelled lump that would now be forming on the back of her head. Through the winces of her new injuries as Roan looked over her, Madelyn gave him an assured expression that she was ok.

Roan looked away out the rear of the truck at the pursuing LAPV. Never mind if she was alright, they could have killed his wife… and that's what angered him most of all.

He stood back up, moving quickly to the end of the shipping container before leaning out the open gap and pulling the remaining right side door to close and latch shut-

Just as several bullets grazed by, forcing sparks out of the metal…

* * *

As soon as the grenade landed on target, Fang quickly switched his trigger finger from the launcher to the rifle-

But couldn't fire immediately… as Judy was forced to swerve the car to avoid the dead Wolf that had fallen out, as well as the debris of the gatling gun and it's long ammo belt dragging out with it until the entire chain was strewn across the highway behind.

After that, Judy quickly steadied the LAPV so her canine comrade could shoot, both of them looking forward to see the Panther lean out to close the remaining door of the shipping container that wasn't hanging by a thread.

Even though he was shooting left-pawed, half blinded by the incoming wind and rain, Fang took aim and fired, sticking to short sharp bursts, or single rounds to try and hit and kill the psycho that turned him savage… and would soon turn the whole city savage if he wasn't stopped…

* * *

Roan swiftly took the chance to return fire, also forced to aim left-pawed which wasn't a problem for him, being ambidextrous; he peered marginally from behind the armoured door with the last magazine of his Tar-21, matching the Wolf cop's short bursts of bullets or single rounds to conserve ammo.

Although he had the advantage that he wasn't facing the wind and rain, he was still forced to duck away from the gunfire behind his cover of the armoured slab of steel that was taking most of the Wolf cop's bullets… But even if Roan was still forced to aim left pawed and had no problem with it, his rifle expelled the scorching hot bullet casings out the right side of the weapon- Roan flinched with an angered snarl as one of those expended cartridges singed the fur on his arm as it was ejected from his bullpup assault rifle…

* * *

Fang had the same problem, as his rifle too was built for right-pawed mammals… further throwing off his aim in addition to the wind and rain in his face as the ejected brass cylinders flew across his vision, some of them barely missing the tip of his nose.

Judy sat with her ears still drooped behind her head as Fang's shots rang out the front of the car, unable to do anything but keep the vehicle steady for him. Both of them stooped low, putting their lives at risk once more as the Panther returned fire- some of the bullets barely missing them by an inch as they occasionally ducked below the dashboard when he fired back.

But Roan's shots were sloppy, despite his advantage… Fang had him almost perfectly suppressed, as most of the Panther's flurried shots were impacting the bonnet or the roof, a complete contrast to his earlier shooting which was both accurate and precise… which Fang's gunfire was…

Until his rifle ran dry… ejecting the final cartridge-

* * *

Roan took this to his advantage, peering once more from behind the remaining left side door of the trailer and pulled the trigger-

Only for one orange streak of a tracer bullet to emanate from the weapon, followed by his last few bullets before his rifle too ran out of ammunition…

In an angered rage he threw the gun out the door, and was about to reach and pull out his .50 calibre pistol still in his left hip holster-

When suddenly Madelyn intervened: armed with her M870 shotgun from earlier, she aimed with a single paw from her position on the floor of the trailer at the mangled hinge that was keeping the broken right side door attached and dragging on the road behind…

With a blast of the shotgun, the hinge was obliterated with a brunt sound of blasted metal, severing the dead weight of the huge slab of armoured steel from the back of the trailer-

The door fell… but at the angle it dropped it instead bounced off the tarmac on its edge before bouncing again…

* * *

"Woah!" Judy yelped in shock, barely having the chance to turn the wheel and swerve from the path of the deadly debris as Fang exclaimed;

"Sh*t!"

Only just ducking in time before the heavy slab of metal collided against them-

It bounced up far enough that the metallic tombstone flew over the bonnet to cut through the weakened bodywork like a guillotine… though luckily Judy had swerved enough out of its way that only the right side of the car's roof was decapitated from the vehicle, essentially tuning her and Fang's already battered pickup LAPV into a semi convertible as nearly all the right side of the canopy was severed from the car in an ear-splitting sound of torn metal…

Further exposing the two of them to the harsh elements.

…

* * *

On the back of the trailer, Nick finally dragged himself to his feet, having re-found some semblance of strength to continue fighting and get to the steering wheel of the semi-truck…

After all… he couldn't afford to fail.

Forcing his weary self through the piercing rainfall and harsh wind, he ran to the front end of the trailer, staying light on his feet against the wet metal to prevent his presence from being realised by the mammals inside the trailer below-

The sound of gunfire behind him caught the attention of his ears…

Nick looked over his shoulder to see the origin. Although his vision of the road behind was blocked by the huge shipping container trailer… he was sure Judy and Fang were still in the action and giving it their all, catching a glimpse of their damaged armoured car when he peered further behind himself before averting his attention back to the cab in front.

Nick crouched down onto all fours, both in preparation to make the jump across the gap between the tractor and the trailer…

But also because they were about to enter the bulk of the storm.

* * *

In the cab in front, Mitchell looked on nervously at the sight ahead as he turned on the truck's headlights and fog lights- only one of which had remained intact, and placed a pair of goggles over his eyes to prepare for the drive through the horrendous hurricane…

With one paw kept on the steering wheel, keeping the rig steady against the rainy road, Mitchell reached for his radio;

"Roan, we're going in…"

Before placing back on the dashboard.

* * *

Roan clasped his radio to hear the words, but didn't respond to him.

He stood back away from the gap of the broken rear door of the trailer, staying next to Madelyn, while they both watched outside the moment the road turned into a river, and the day became like the night as they became subjects of the great tempest above-

* * *

As soon as the truck entered the bulk of the storm, Nick grabbed tightly to the trailer roof, turned his head away and squinted his eyes when such a heavy rush of rainfall enveloped him it was as if he'd just stepped beneath a raging waterfall… drenching him through to the bone in almost an instant-

* * *

Without a windscreen to shield them or a half a roof to shelter them, Judy and Fang too became drenched in an instant when the LAPV entered the storm in pursuit of the semi-truck.

Judy could barely keep her eyes open, squinting hard against the relentless rainfall to keep at least one eye on the road. She went to turn on the headlights… But nothing happened when she found and flicked the switch, the forward beams having been shot out earlier… further reducing her visibility of the road ahead and relying solely on the flickering lampposts of the highway itself for light as the power fluctuated from the raging superstorm.

Fang just stayed peering from behind the right side of Judy's seat, also squinting from the harsh weather to provide Judy another set of eyes to see anything she missed… but otherwise, he was unable to do anything but endure the storm as the rain began to puddle in the footwells of the armoured car…

And both of them knew, with the current weather, the state of their vehicle the way it was, and with no ammunition left for their weapons, there was no way they could take on the truck and win… the simple fact was:

It was all down to Nick now…

* * *

With the hard and harsh wind sending thousands of needles of water surging through his fur, Nick eventually managed to return his gaze forward after vainly shielding his face… now severely reducing his visibility through his squinting eyes, the heavy rain and thick fog.

He gazed at the truck cab, judging the distance of the gap to make the daring cross, preparing himself for the confrontation he would be facing…

Nick assumed the Honey-Badger wouldn't be unarmed, and knew he needed to do this stealthily.

Braving through the wicked weather, he waited for a flash of lightning, getting it barely a second later when it illuminated the clouds above with a flash of white…

Nick made his jump, launching himself through the air and clamping onto the cab as tightly as he could and using the sound of the following thunderous boom to hide the thump of his landing against the wet metallic roof-

* * *

But Mitchell still heard it, even through the overbearing clap of thunder; he turned to look over his shoulder to where the noise had come from…

He saw nothing.

But as he turned his attention back to the road ahead he reached down to the side of his seat, picking up a G18 machine pistol if necessary to defend himself…

* * *

Having successfully made the jump in such ghastly conditions, Nick stayed lying on the roof as he shuffled over to the improvised roof hatch of the truck cab where the mounted minigun used to be before being severed off by the collision at the toll station… an event that seemed like an eternity ago that had in actuality barely been a few minutes prior.

He looked up once more into the sky, catching a glimpse through the fog at one of the highway's overhead signs, once more only paying attention to the information that mattered:

* * *

 **EXIT 01**

 **SAVANNA CENTRAL**

 **EXIT 1 MILE**

* * *

There was no time to waste…

Shifting his grip, Nick slowly and quietly lowered himself though the improvised roof hatch into the back seat of the modified truck cab, dripping water from his drenched form onto the upholstery… being such a relief to be out of the worst weather he'd ever experienced-

He shuddered as another flash of lightning and lurid thunder rumbled around them…

The Honey-Badger had no idea he was there… being too focussed on trying to keep an eye on the little visibility he had through the cracked windscreen and with no wiper blades to remove the immense amount of water hitting the other side of the glass.

Nick noticed the gun the Badger was holding in his right paw, with a firm grip on the trigger whilst still clamped on the steering wheel… deciding to make a grab for it-

And suddenly froze on the spot when the black and white mustelid abruptly looked behind directly at him… and then looked away as if Nick wasn't even there...

That was when Mitchell realised he wasn't alone anymore.

He turned round again, with lightning quick speed… though this time aiming his machine pistol-

Nick dived for it, grabbing the Honey-Badger's arm and pushing the gun away to face the windshield as Mitchell pulled the trigger, sending bullets into the already cracked glass and further reducing the visibility on the road ahead with repeating ear-splitting cracks from the gun…

The Honey-Badger growled ferociously, catching Nick by surprise as all of a sudden Mitchell dropped the gun and used the Fox's grasp on his arm against him with some apparent super strength… throwing Nick forwards for his back to collide against the windscreen and fall upon the dashboard.

Mitchell leaned forward, going to grab him by neck, attempting to use his razor sharp claws to cut the Fox cop's throat open-

But Nick grabbed his paw before he could… using that as leverage to swing himself around and kick Mitchell in the head.

He flinched hard as the Fox's foot collided against his temple... taking another hit as Nick kicked him again, before he caught his foot… digging his claws painfully into Nick's leg, Mitchell dragged him off the dashboard, falling partly onto the passenger seat and gap in between, Nick scraped his back against the gear stick-

But luckily found the G18 on the floor beside him…

Nick picked it up, firing at his adversary the only two rounds left in the high capacity magazine-

One of the bullets missed, Nick's aim being as flustered as it was in his precarious position and in his fatigue… but the other landed true, forcing a short, growled scream of agony from the Honey-Badger as the 9mm round cut through the side of his jaw and out the other side with a splatter of blood and flesh and fur.

It didn't kill him, but it gave Nick his chance to be rid of him…

As Mitchell clutched his paws to the gunshot wound through his mouth, Nick stood back up, taking the chance of the Badger's agonised whimpers to grab the collar of his shirt to keep him from moving and then reach over to open the driver side door and push him out of the truck-

But the Honey-Badger's pained whines suddenly turned to a furious growl…

Nick suddenly felt the mustelid grab his arm and was abruptly lifted over his lap as Nick was now the one about to be thrown out the door-

Except his left paw still had a firm grasp on the Honey-Badger… dragging him out with him as both of them fell out of the open side door of the truck cab and exposed to the harsh elements, dangling precariously above the sodden speeding roadway... the only thing stopping them from falling being Nick's grip on the door handle with his right paw.

He instantly changed that as he let go of the Badger to bring up his other paw to clasp onto the door for some extra grip… but still wasn't rid of the mustelid as Mitchell had grabbed hold of Nick's left leg, digging his claws painfully through his drenched trousers, fur, and into his skin...

Mitchell even resorted to trying to bite him until Nick lifted his right leg and swiftly brought it down, striking the Honey-Badger in the head… repeatedly, with an angered snarl till Mitchell's grip loosened and he fell from the truck onto the roadway below-

Leaving Nick dangling from the door himself.

…

He wasn't helpless this time…

Daring to reach over to the cab, Nick planted his left foot on the doorframe, using his leg to pull the door closer to the cabin…and then when he could, he reached over to grab hold of the unused seat belt, yanking on it hard so it would lock and allow him to use the strip of polyester as a rope to pull himself back inside the cab-

Nick flinched restlessly against the rain when a bolt of lightning from the tempest above struck one of the highway's lampposts, exploding the steel shaft in blast of bright orange sparks as he climbed back inside and plonked himself in the driver's seat. He pulled the door closed, offering minor relief from the weather outside due to the missing window, and turned his attention to the road ahead through the cracked windscreen…

He questioned to himself how it was at all possible the Honey-Badger could see through it: the entire bullet resistant glass was almost cracked through, warped in places from the impact at the toll gates as well as the steel mesh reinforcement the other side, and the lack of wiper blades meant the incoming rain just splattered against the glass, unmoved.

Nick reached down beside the seat where the absent Honey-Badger's empty machine pistol had been dropped, its retracted side signalling it was empty. Nick didn't need to shoot it… instead he picked it up by the barrel, using the weapon as an improvised hammer to break the glass…

It quickly gave way as Nick smashed through it, exposing the inside of the cab to the brutal wind and rain… though he himself was almost somewhat used to it by now.

With no time to spare, Nick dropped the useless firearm to the floor and grabbed hold of the steering wheel of the armoured semi-truck, fitting the controls perfectly fine as he was the same size as the previous driver…

He looked on through the rain, wind and fog before him, catching a glimpse of the last overhead sign before the next junction… once again only paying attention to the information that mattered, displaying on the green sign above:

* * *

 **EXIT 01**

 **SAVANNA CENTRAL 1/4**

 **EXIT ONLY**

* * *

…

With control of the truck, Nick had to let his friends know he was at the wheel… by an action he had told her, and knew that was something Judy would recognise instantly it was him…

Nick reached right up above him, and grasped onto the cord of the rig's air horn-

* * *

In the LAPV behind, Judy had also seen the last overhead sign before the junction exit, even with her impaired vision through the rampant rain and fiendish fog…

If they got off the highway it would be game over.

If it was necessary she would ram the truck again, and whatever happened, would happen… but she continued to wait and see if Nick had made it first.

She believed in him, truly… as he did in her… But the evidence was pointing the other direction. Nick had said she would know when he had made it to the truck's controls… Judy only wished she knew what he meant, and she was still waiting for whatever signal it was going to be…

They were out of time and chances… and as Judy started eyeing the hundred yard countdown markers for the approaching off ramp, she found herself silently pleading that Nick had somehow pulled through despite all the odds stacked against him;

"Come on Nick…"

…

* * *

 **\\\\\**

* * *

…

"Come on…"

…

* * *

 **\\\**

* * *

…

And that's when she heard it:

…

* * *

 **\**

* * *

…

The Victory Toot-Toot.

* * *

Nick pulled hard on the cord of the rig's air horn-

Sending out the bellowing howl from the gargantuan vehicle, the triumphant honk hollering stridently throughout the raging storm around them in contrast to its shrilling wind…

* * *

And Judy smiled as she heard it, knowing it was him, cheering;

"Yes Nick!" as she threw a fist into the air in celebration…

Also revealing to her Wolf comrade behind and beside her, as Fang too joined in with a short howl of joy… both the Rabbit and the Wolf listening on at the short single tone symphony Nick was playing as he was clearly relishing pulling the cord several times over to be sure the horn was heard by all of them to signal his success.

The irony now, at what was before a symbol of terror used against them and their colleagues, Nick had now transformed it into one of the hallmarks of their victory…

* * *

Inside the trailer however, the abrupt sounding of the truck horn meant something was wrong up front… alerting the Panther and the Coyote…

Roan immediately grabbed hold of his radio, and spoke into it angrily;

"Mitchell?-"

" _Sorry buddy…_ " Nick's voice replied, in a comical tone that made the Panther simmer with anger and confusion, _"… He had to go for tumble in the rain… but you got a new driver now, only, we're going on a slight detour…_ "

* * *

Having picked it up from where it had been left on the dashboard, Nick kept hold of the radio as he put both paws on the steering wheel, forcing the armoured semi-truck to change lanes… kicking up the watery spray around the vehicle as it rumbled along the road to roll on past the exit to Savanna Central…

* * *

Miles behind them along the Highway, but closing the gap, Bogo sat in the driver's seat of the SWAT APC, pedal to the floor and hoofs firmly on the steering wheel… having to swerve around the mangled wrecks and debris of vehicles. He also held his radio firmly, listening carefully to the minute update details of the roadway chase-

"What's the sitrep Mobile Command?" Bogo ordered into the device, "Is that truck stopped yet?"

" _Camera feeds are sketchy from the storm sir, but- wait…_ "

" _Wilde is at the wheel! They just missed the off ramp to Central Square… he's taking the truck away from the city…_ "

"What direction?"

" _Coastal Highway, bridge towards Outback Island._ "

"Copy…" Bogo responded, "I want armed officers and EOD teams on-site ASAP,"

" _Yes sir, doing it now,_ "

" _Chief be advised, we're geti- … some radio interference fr- … the storm… comms may be restricted,_ "

 _"_ Noted, _"_ Bogo responded, as he flipped on the wipers and headlights, now driving into the storm himself…

* * *

Nick grinned as he looked to the right side of the vehicle, seeing the slip-road off the highway that led to Central Square disappear behind him… a feeling of accomplishment enveloping him as he knew how much the odds had been stacked against him… and he had prevailed.

But it wasn't over yet, and even though he knew it wasn't entirely true, he confidently lifted the radio back to his muzzle and spoke again confidently;

"You lose Roan…"

And threw the radio away behind him.

* * *

Roan stood in the trailer, beside his wife, and his volatile toxic creation… as he observed out the missing rear door, the off-ramp at the motorway interchange fall behind them in the distance-

Oddly… with a smile across his muzzle, when he threw the radio away and mumbled to himself with foreboding confidence;

"Not yet Wilde… Not yet…"

…

Although his smile soon turned sour as both he and Madelyn knew what this turn of events meant for them.

She looked up and asked her husband forlornly; "So, it's come down to this, has it?"

"I'm afraid so," he answered genuinely, kneeling down to face her directly…

He gently lifted his left paw to caress the silk like fur on the Coyote's muzzle, Madelyn gracefully accepting the Panther's loving gesture;

"Know whatever happens…" Roan began thoughtfully, "… I will always love you…"

"And I will always love you…" Madelyn returned…

The two lovers stared into each other's eyes for a moment… before soon enough, Roan relocated his paw to her waist, while Madelyn lifted her arms to wrap around his neck… both of them slowly closing their eyes as they gently pushed their muzzles together into a passionate kiss that would likely be their last… enjoying the touch, taste and scent of the other as their fur bristled within the singular moment of bliss, enjoying each other's company.

They soon broke their lips apart but remained in each other's arms, continuing the adoring stare at the opposing mammal they loved, and had solely promised themselves to since that fateful day they became two individuals with one shared soul… both of them mentally recalling the day they said their vows to become husband and wife, mates for life…

 _… To have and to hold…_

Roan reached to a single zip pocket on his gear with his free paw.

 _… From this day forward…_

Dragging the zip down, he reached inside, pulling out two transparent inhalers:

 _… For better, for worse…_

One for him, and one for her…

 _… For richer, for poorer…_

Both filled with the low concentrated Nighthowler performance enhancer… the cool blue liquid almost glowing in the dim light of the trailer as Roan held them openly in his paw between them;

"Let's finish what we started…"

Slowly, Madelyn took one… and finished Roan's sentence for him;

"… Together…"

 _… In sickness and in health…_

With a shared nod of agreement, Roan and Madelyn Fyodorov lifted the inhalers to their muzzles, both of them breathing out fully before placing the mouthpiece to their lips and pressing the canister. Inhaling fully, the Panther and Coyote took all the cerulean gas into their lungs…

Giving them both the rush they wanted and needed.

 _… Until death do us part._

* * *

…

Nick still kept a firm grip on the steering wheel of the semi-truck-

For the simple fact that now he was here, he had no idea what to do next…

All he knew was the road was partially curving as he had taken one of the lanes off the interchange they had just passed onto a different part of the highway, and through the fierce weather conditions the only thing he managed to see to indicate which way he had turned was the next overhead sign, displaying white on green the words said:

* * *

 **OUTBACK ISLAND 5**

 **Toll - Via Lionsgate Bridge**

* * *

Lionsgate Bridge: a two mile long suspension bridge that spanned across the waters of Zootopia Sound, connecting the arid Outback Island to the rest of the city, which prior to the bridge's construction, was only accessible by boat.

It was also one of the least densely populated areas of the city…

But that didn't mean he could just let the bomb go off there… he couldn't let it go off at all, and currently he was the only one who knew it was armed.

…

In effort to slow the rig down against the water logged roadway to come softly to a stop, Nick gently pushed his foot on the brake…

…

Only nothing happened. The truck continued to move at the same speed.

…

He pressed it again, this time harder.

…

Still nothing happened.

…

And then once more, even harder still, almost enough to hurt his foot paw-

But still nothing happened.

…

Nick panicked in the moment, short gasps of breath escaping his maw as he began to repeatedly and furiously stamp down on the brake pedal, only to no effect… It appeared the damage from the impact at the toll station had been more than just cosmetic.

He fumbled with his feet, knowing the brake was useless. He tried to lift up the throttle only to also be in vain. It was locked in place… and Nick had no idea how to release it. The dashboard was a mess with all kinds of buttons and dials, far more even than his and Judy's patrol car… he had no idea what any of them did… for all he knew one of them could even blow up the bomb in the trailer so he wasn't about to mess with them-

He looked forward through the piecing rain, immediately clamping his paws back on the steering wheel as the truck had started to swerve on the road-turned-river… and even though he knew it was useless, Nick pressed his foot down on the brake again, begging;

"Please, please, please…"

But the truck ploughed onwards, kicking up the spray from the road with no falter from its speed.

"Oh no…" he muttered despairingly…

Now knowing he was in probably the worst situation he been all day: at the broken controls of a runaway semi-truck with over 8000 pounds of explosives, and lord knows how many tanks full of pressurised toxic Nighthowler gas in the trailer behind…

And it wasn't about to get any better… as Nick looked ahead he could see a lit up electronic sign through the fog and rain, saying in bright orange;

* * *

 **BRIDGE CLOSED**

 **USE NEXT EXIT**

* * *

"NICK!"

He barely heard the callout of his own name through the raging storm: a familiar and tender voice, even when she was shouting, yelling to him from his left…

Nick turned his head to look through missing window, seeing his comrade's LAPV, or more by a better description: what was left of it… but its two occupants were still mostly intact, with Judy still at the steering wheel, and Fang crouched behind and beside her seat.

"Couldn't resist the toot-toot could you!?" Judy smiled as she yelled to him.

Nick couldn't help the same toothy sideways smile form on his muzzle whenever he saw that Bunny, especially when making some quips of her own… but it did nothing the stifle the desperate situation he and all of them were in.

…

Judy and Fang both thought they had won…

…

But Nick knew the truth. That Victory Toot-Toot was premature, and he knew it when he did it.

…

It was the Wolf who next called out to him through the violent wind and rain;

"Hey!" Fang yelled first to acquire the Fox's attention, "Stop the truck!"

"I can't!" Nick shouted back awkwardly, "The throttle's jammed and the brakes are shot!"

Clearly hearing his words, Fang fumbled around his SWAT gear to find the round lump he had completely forgotten about: the single frag grenade he had grabbed all the way back in the church basement armoury almost an hour ago, which had miraculously stayed attached to his gear all this time despite the events since…

He stripped it from his gear, and prepared to throw it over for the Fox to use;

"Here!" he yelled, reacquiring Nick's attention and advertising the explosive ball, "Catch!"

Nick flinched as the heavy ball was thrown at him… but was still a good throw despite Fang tossing it with his left paw and between two fast moving vehicles through the horrid weather conditions…

And Nick caught it with an agitated catch, dropping it first before juggling with it to keep a grip on the metallic ball with his left paw-

"If you can't stop it, then blow it up!" Fang yelled again, before he joked; "Just try not to go up with it like your last grenade!"

Getting an odd look from Judy-

"NO!" Nick exclaimed a mighty protest, forcing confused expressions from his companions, "We can't stop it! … The bomb is arm-!"

A deafening clap of thunder interrupted his warning.

Forcing both Judy and Fang to reply with;

"What!?"

"I said, the bomb is-!"

…

Nick cut his sentence short-

As in the singular shard of what was left of the truck's driver side wing mirror…

He could see a female Coyote clasping to the side of the cab, wielding a shotgun which was suddenly raised towards the LAPV;

"LOOK OUT!"

Fang turned to look in time-

In time to take a 12 gauge buckshot straight to his chest… exuding a pained gasp from his mouth before falling limply in the back of the armoured car behind Judy's seat.

Judy snapped her gaze behind her in shock to see Madelyn throw the shotgun over and instantly jump the gap between the truck and the LAPV, landing in the rear truck bed…

She prepared to defend herself, glancing back at Nick, who was focused entirely on her at the moment-

Completely unaware of the Panther about to attack him from the other side.

Judy vained a warning to him;

"NICK!-"

* * *

Nick turned his head-

Just as Roan slammed his paw against his muzzle, pushing him hard against the frame of the missing window, pinning the Fox against it with his head.

As Nick cringed, he had let go of the steering wheel, practically handing it over to the Panther to take control of the vehicle-

* * *

Judy barely had chance to turn in her seat before the Coyote had climbed into the canopy of the armoured car, made easier by half its roof missing…

She looked first at the White Wolf slumped behind the driver seat on his back… the shot hadn't killed him-

But Fang hadn't moved since taking the shotgun blast to his chest, completely winded and breathless as his bullet proof vest took the pellets, but he still felt the full force of the round as it hit him.

Through stammered breaths he looked up to see the Coyote-

Madelyn getting the drop on him again by stamping her left foot paw directly on his muzzle, pinning him to the floor… not that he had the strength to move.

Quickly, Madelyn leaned forward to attack the Bunny-

Taking a fluffy fist to the muzzle as Judy threw a punch behind her…

Madelyn recoiled from the shockingly powerful jab… but also had managed to reach forward round the seat to maul at the same leg of the Rabbit she had shot at the start of the day.

Judy expelled a horrifying scream when the Coyote's claws dug through her flesh, adding several claw marks and catching her gunshot wound, exposing it to the elements as the bandage was torn from her leg… causing her to freeze up in agony as the shock of the pain engulfed her entire body-

And inadvertently allowing Madelyn the chance to recover from the punch she had made:

The Coyote immediately used this chance, pulling out a spare length of electrical wire she had acquired from the trailer... wrapping it round the dazed Bunny's neck from behind and using it to strangle her mercilessly.

Judy instantly gasped for air as the thin coil of wire was wrapped around her neck, lifting up a paw to try and pry the plastic covered wire from the front of her throat-

* * *

As Roan had shoved his head against the window frame, Nick was forced to let go of the steering wheel-

Except he quickly lifted his right paw up to dig his claws into the Panther's face beside him, very nearly catching his eye… forcing out an agitated growl from the feline as Roan removed his paw from pinning Nick's head to pull the Fox's claws away…

But then in a mad frenzy, Nick used his left paw, making use of the grenade he was holding to make his strikes even harder as he hit Roan in the muzzle repeatedly, further agitating him until Nick made the sacrificial decision-

And if he was going to die, he was going to take Roan with him:

Nick brought the grenade to his mouth, pulling the pin out with his teeth before letting the safety lever free from the deadly explosive sphere…

But Roan had noticed him do it, forcing his paw to grab the explosive ball before Nick could drop or throw it… the two mammals now fumbling with the grenade until Roan, with his larger paws and strength, overpowered Nick, and forced the deadly sphere out the side window.

It bounced along the tarmac as the slipstream of the vehicle made it travel behind-

Exploding underneath the rear axle of the heavy trailer's wheels, bursting all the tyres, completely ripping the rubber to shreds and additionally blowing off two of the wheels.

The trailer began to snake, the rig instantly swerving, with the little traction it had left on the water covered roadway-

Both the Fox and the Panther instantly put their paws back on the steering wheel, fighting for control of the rig- incidentally ramming the side of the LAPV beside them; Nick looked across in worry as it too began to swerve on the roadway, colliding against the truck every so often until it began to pull ahead…

Returning his attention ahead, Nick took note of the last electronic sign ahead displaying:

* * *

 **BRIDGE CLOSED**

 **STOP YOUR VEHICLE**

* * *

Having missed the last exit, they were now stuck on the road over Lionsgate Bridge-

And both Nick and Roan ducked down to shield themselves from the debris of metal, glass and plastic as the semi-truck blasted straight through one of the toll booths at the entrance to the long suspension bridge…

* * *

Madelyn still had Judy constricted round her neck, fighting against the pull of the sharp electrical wire the Coyote was using to strangle her, cutting into her neck and her paw as she tried desperately to pry the wire away from her throat…

She had already gone lightheaded when Madelyn leaned forward to grab onto the steering wheel-

Judy instantly grabbed onto her arm with her free right paw, and even as less intimidating her rabbit claws were, they were enough to draw blood on the canine's arm when she dig her claws in… Both the Rabbit and the Coyote fighting for control of the armoured car, they looked away from the debris as they burst through the boom barrier at the entrance to the bridge…

The rain suddenly got heavier, the wind against them tougher, and unbeknownst to her from her choking- and still being choked… Judy hadn't realised she had pressed harder on the throttle… partially leaving the rig behind on the roadway-

And she could feel it through the wheels, and the fact that the steering suddenly became hard and unresponsive that their car had begun to aquaplane, with little to no traction on the road as water rushed beneath them… the Bunny and the Coyote still fighting for control of the car…

Except Madelyn was quickly caught off guard, completely forgetting about the other mammal in the car, as unexpectedly, Fang pushed her foot from his muzzle, reached up and grabbed her left leg before clamping his maimed right paw with claws out across the back of her neck, trying to induce enough pain to make the Coyote let Judy and the steering wheel go-

But all it did was make her angrier… throwing her left elbow behind her to strike the exhausted Wolf in the muzzle, simultaneously pulling the wire tighter round Judy's neck and slamming her head into the back of her seat as Fang fell backwards.

And now out of options, feeling like she was about to pass out… Judy reached down to her left and swiftly, with the last of her strength, pulled up the handbrake-

* * *

Nick and Roan continued to fight for control of the steering wheel of their own vehicle… Nick frantically trying to keep the Panther's paws away from it… But Roan's larger size and strength easily had him over powered-

Especially when next he forced Nick's grip on the steering wheel to fail, he quickly clasped his left paw around his throat, beginning to choke the Fox… Nick swiftly reacted by clasping his own paw onto Roan's, digging his claws in to try and desperately break his grasp away from his neck whilst their right paws wrestled against the steering wheel…

They could both feel the movement of the swaying rig… completely unstable as the snaking trailer rocked it about side to side, further increasing the odds of the inevitable, but paying no attention to it as the only sounds between the two mammals were snarls, growls and roars, until Roan bellowed furiously;

"You are _NOT,_ TAKING THIS FROM ME!"

"TAKE WHAT!?" Nick snarled a retort, "ALL YOU'LL DO IS KILL YOUR WIFE, AND YOURSELF!"

"WE'RE READY FOR WHAT COMES NEXT NICK! … Are _YOU_!?" Roan growled ominously, glancing at the vehicle before them; "… Are _THEY_!?"

Now Nick glanced at the armoured car in front-

And looked on in horror as the LAPV suddenly broke, its wheels locked and slid across the water soaked tarmac till the battered forward ram on the semi-truck clipped its front wheels, partially flipping it into the air and forcing it to overturn…

And overcome with a furious rage, a distressed, and protective anger for the wellbeing of his friends- for Judy, enveloping him in that very moment… and negating the grip the Panther had on him, Nick clasped both paws hard onto the rig's steering wheel, enough to imprint his palm pads into the resin coating, and gave Roan his answer;

"NOOOOOO!"

Nick pulled the steering wheel all the way to the left… with no time for Roan to counter, where the lack of any traction on the road forced the wheels to slip and the swaying rig to fall to its side-

…

Both the Light Armoured Patrol Vehicle and the armoured semi-truck overturned along the centre span of the bridge, transforming from vehicles into wreckage, strewing debris across the roadway to the sound of mangling metal…

Torn up tarmac.

Flashes of lightning.

Turbulent thunder.

Amongst wailing winds, rampant rain and fierce fog…

…

Until the darkness claimed them all… the Fox, the Panther, the Rabbit, the Wolf and the Coyote…

And everything fell into a deathly silence.

* * *

 _…_

 _8:40_

 _…_

 _8:39_

 _…_

 _8:38_

 _…_

 _8:37_

 _…_


	30. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hey everybody, long time no upload huh? But seriously, I am very sorry, and can't apologise enough for how long it's taken me to get this chapter ready- and it's still not technically ready yet. This chapter I had hoped to keep to one single upload but it has ended up being so long I've now split it up into 4 parts (and I'm still writing the 4th), and as I've been determined to make it as good as possible, I've been hitting block upon block while writing it, as well as some "technical difficulties" with my computer, and numerous other commitments and distractions in my personal life- though nothing too serious, so no worries there.**

 **Therefore, I can't thank you all enough for being patient with me. I really meant it when I said I WILL finish this story, I'm not going to abandon it- this is literally the final battle now! And I hope it's as good as the rest if not better than what you've read so far. To help with that, I do now have an editor… so I'm giving a big shout-out to:**

 **N'yrthghar**

 **He's an awesome guy, and has been a real help to me. He is also a fellow writer in this fandom- and a very talented writer too! So do both me and him a favour and go check out his own Zootopia stories and one-shots… they're pretty damn good!**

 **Just before I get to my next chapter, I'll say I am only aiming to upload every fortnight for the moment. But that's only my aim, I can't make any definite promises on that- so I am sorry in advance for the inevitable cliffhangers I'll be leaving you all on! XD Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy it, and again, reviews, feedback and constructive criticism is much appreciated.**

 **So again, sorry this took so long, and thank you again for your patience. And before I ramble on any further, here is (the beginning of) the finale, of Zootopia: THE RAID…**

* * *

Chapter 29

 ** _'Zootopian Standoff – Part 1: Aftermath'_**

* * *

Everything came back as a slow blur when he stirred from his unconsciousness.

The only thing Nick could hear was the sinister shrill of the storm winds swirling past his pointed ears, the odd rumble of thunder, and the persistent pitter-patter of falling rain on the ground around him.

He had yet to open his eyes, but he knew whatever he was lying on was cold, wet, solid…

And unstable.

Even as he lay down on the ground with his eyes closed, Nick could feel the world around him gently rocking side to side; a gentle swaying motion. As his hearing cleared, his ears twitched at the nerve-racking sound of creaking and moaning metal… and was at that point he managed to open his eyes.

His vision was fuzzy for a moment, reality hazing past him like he was very, _very_ drunk, until his sight soon came to the right resolution.

Nick had no idea how much time had passed while he was unconscious.

For one, it couldn't be any longer than fifteen minutes, as when he opened his eyes and looked sideways across the soaked asphalt on the bridge, he could see the shipping container trailer still intact (with many dents) leaning on its side… meaning the bomb had not yet exploded from its fifteen minute timer…

And also because the superstorm was still raging just as it had been before… looking like the watery version of an atomic bomb had exploded, plunging the city in black and grey fallout, except it was water that was falling from the sky rather than radioactive dust.

Although soon it would be filled with a toxic blue mist…

Nick struggled to lift his heavy head, making a quiet groan. He was throbbing with pain all over, but that was nothing new to him now… he also couldn't feel any noticeable new injuries from the crash as he lay motionless in the middle of the road. He assumed that his SWAT gear had somehow saved him from serious injury…

But as Nick tried to move, he cringed hard, letting out an agonised gasp… now noticing his injuries:

A nasty friction burn had grazed his left elbow, ripping out the fur to char at his skin after his protective elbow pad had been evidently torn from his arm and his shirt sleeve ripped. Many more cuts had marked him, ripping away at his uniform underneath his SWAT gear, drawing blood from many small cuts and grazes. But apart from that, there wasn't anything else visibly obvious… but Nick was sure at least several of his bones were fractured, or worse: broken.

However, he fought through the pain…

Because Nick knew this fight wasn't over yet.

He eventually managed to lean up on one arm, his fur and clothes now completely drenched through, making the task of moving himself more difficult than it already was. He first lifted a paw to wipe the blood from the fur on his face, still slowly oozing from the gash across his left cheek and around his eye socket, diluting itself with the water from the persistent rainfall.

As he had propped himself up, Nick then looked around at the scene of the crash… questioning how on earth he had survived it…

Pieces of the wreckage was strewn everywhere. When the semi-truck had fallen to its side, the remaining momentum of the towed trailer had pushed the tractor to face the opposite way… completely shearing the fifth wheel coupling that had seen the shipping container slide further down the roadway till it came to a stop on the edge of the bridge, after breaking through the barrier that protected the road from the several hundred foot drop to the wild waters below. The trailer's momentum however had also forced the cab to roll, stripping itself apart… the forward mounted battering ram had completely broken off, the cab had lost its entire roof, almost completely severed from the chassis, with parts of the body-work, engine, and odd loose wheels scattered around the place.

And somehow Nick had found himself in amongst all the debris, coming out marginally unscathed.

Once again, it was just luck that he was still alive... the one thing that had kept him alive all day.

And as he looked further around, Nick soon came to realise why the ground felt so unstable: because the bridge was gently swaying in the harsh winds of the hurricane, causing the nerve-racking metallic creaking and moans from the steel suspension cables and the girders of the road deck beneath the concrete and tarmac.

In one direction was the colossal bridge tower, barely visible through the rain and fog… the hanging steel cables protruding from its great peaks, sliding all the way down to the roadway deck where he lay.

Nick looked the other direction-

Seeing the exact same thing, the two overturned vehicles having ceased their crash almost directly between both of the towers in the middle of the centre span. Beyond that though, he couldn't see a thing, the fog and rainfall was dense enough that from this position he could not see either end of the bridge, or the landmasses it was attached to…

Nick almost jumped out of his drenched fur when a fork of lightning struck the top of the bridge tower he was looking at-

* * *

The quickly following crack of thunder shuddered Judy awake, lifting her head up with a start.

Her breathing instantly became heavy… the very same second she awoke she had cringed hard from the immediate pain she felt in her right leg. It stung unmercifully with every droplet of rain that touched it. She leaned up to inspect it, observing her now worsened wound. Blood was cascading across and down her leg from the bullet wound, as well as the deep cuts made from the Coyote's claws, now to the point where the crimson liquid had drenched Judy's uniform, turning it from blue to red, before the excess became thinned from the tenacious rainfall and flowed onto the tarmac to pool beside her.

The pain was so overwhelming Judy was stifling tears with a hard squint, gritted teeth, and the occasional pained gasp. She moved a paw to caress her pained neck, feeling the line in her fur that the Coyote's electrical wire strangle had cut in, wiping away a small amount of blood from where it had cut further still.

Judy examined herself more, throbbing with pain all over and noticing several rips on her uniform where more cuts and abrasions had marked her. Her right sleeve was hanging by a thread from above her elbow where it had been ripped through from a bloody graze. Judy lifted her left arm to claw away the remaining threads of her right sleeve, and removed her wrist protector before dropping it beside her. Desperate to use anything to truncate the blood loss from her leg, Judy pulled her loose sleeve from her arm, exposing the limb to the harsh weather, and proceeded to wrap the blue strip of neoprene around her right leg, tying it tightly against herself as an improvised tourniquet… it was crude, but would have to do for now.

Because Judy knew in the back of her mind, this fight wasn't over yet…

She looked around herself, finding that she was in the middle of the water soaked road, the bridge swaying slightly in the winds of the storm; she had been thrown from the LAPV during the crash… somehow surviving it, but she wasn't about to question that fact, other than that she _was_ still alive.

For now.

Judy glanced over, squinting through the rainfall… seeing that the female Coyote too had been thrown from the vehicle during the crash. Judy scowled at her, noticing she was lightly stirring too, clearly trying to compose herself after the incident with very similar injuries as the Bunny herself, with many cuts and grazes and rips through her clothing…

But Judy quickly turned away from her short examination of her assailant, now observing to her left, what remained of the LAPV. The armoured car had ended up completely upside-down after the crash, leaning on its remaining half of a roof which had caused it to cave inwards, and had slid to face the opposite way it had originally rolled. Parts of the weakened body-work had been severely dented and other parts had been further torn off, scattered across the road, and the front left side wheel was missing.

Not that it mattered… the vehicle would certainly never be moving again.

And just that moment as Judy was examining the wrecked vehicle, she remembered that she and the Coyote were not alone in the car…

And there was no sign of her White Wolf colleague.

She could only deduce Fang was still inside the wrecked vehicle… severely injured, or worse.

…

Fighting against her pain again: the cuts, scrapes, most likely fractured bones and particularly the worsened state of her leg… Judy soldiered on, and wobbled to her feet despite her fatigue, and ensued to slowly limp over to the overturned armoured car, wincing every time she put any weight on her right leg.

After a short stagger in the storm, she rounded to the driver side of the LAPV… looking past she could see, not that much further along the bridge, thirty metres give or take, the wreckage and subsequent debris field of the crashed big rig.

Judy instantly thought for Nick's sake, hoping he was ok… putting her mind somewhat at ease when she saw something of a faint figure through the rain that resembled a fox, slowly stumbling to their feet. She planned to go help him as soon as she made sure Fang was ok…

Judy turned her attention back to the overturned armoured car; she had forgotten that her driver side door had been torn off, most likely the cause of how she fell out of the vehicle during the accident… but the rear side door was still attached. Through the cracked window of bullet resistant glass, Judy could just about see Fang still inside. He wasn't moving, and was pressed up against the intact door and cracked window.

Judy pulled the handle to open the door… having to give it another tug to fully unlatch it, where once the slab of metal swung open, Fang fell limply from the removal of what he was leaning against until Judy caught the lupine's heavy head and settled him down on the ground.

She attempted to pull him out, but it was failed endeavour for at least two reasons: Judy was exhausted, with barely enough energy to move herself, let alone move a mammal nearly four times her size… and as she looked inside, Judy noticed that Fang was trapped; the passenger side chair, as well as the caved in roof had collapsed and trapped both his legs and his tail. He wasn't pinned particularly painfully or severely- there was no blood, or at least didn't look like it to Judy, but Fang would more than likely have to free himself rather than she do it for him…

But fearfully, Judy thought he might not be moving at all; he was limp, cold and unresponsive, so she quickly acted to stop and check if the Wolf was even still alive;

"Fang…" Judy uttered as she nudged him lightly.

But got no response.

…

After a pause;

"Fang?" she uttered again, louder with concern, tapping the side of his muzzle.

But still the Wolf did not stir.

…

Judy reached to his neck to check his pulse… to her relief, finding it still going strong…

He wasn't dead, just unconscious. And Judy couldn't honestly blame him… it was obvious he had hit his head hard against something solid in the car during the crash, as a nasty head wound was seeping blood across his brow and down the side of his head while he lay on his back, with the water from the sky merging with his blood.

Nevertheless, Judy attempted to try and wake him once more;

"John! Wake up!"

This time she did get a response (whether it was a result of using the Wolf's first name or not): a short whimper, followed by a throaty growl and then an audible groan;

"Am I dead yet?"

With some further relief, Judy backed away… but didn't appreciate his comment, she blamed herself. After all, in desperation, she was the one who caused the crash of their vehicle… but with a strip of electrical wire wrapped around her neck and cutting into her throat, reducing her breathing to panicked gasps for air, Judy hadn't been thinking coherently, or on the consequences of her action… she couldn't even rightly remember how it all happened, despite it being barely a few minutes ago.

But at least Fang had survived too… somewhat. His voice was hoarse… breaths coming out as suppressed pants as his chest still pained from the 12 gauge shotgun blast he had not long ago taken straight to the torso, and still bleeding from his head wound, among other injuries, as well as the injuries he had previously suffered before; his maimed right paw, and a bullet wound through his right shoulder that Judy had not yet noticed. Other than that, Fang's SWAT gear stopped him from any additional serious harm… but he was still trapped inside the wreckage of the car, and it was fairly easy to assume, he wouldn't be doing anymore fighting…

"Can you move?" Judy asked the Wolf.

Fang attempted to shuffle himself free from the vehicle, groaning, and making a quiet involuntary growl as he did. He did manage to move one of his legs free from where he was trapped… but moving his other, and his tail, was going to be far more problematic;

"Kinda…" he finally answered, "I think…" he stuttered through his pained breath, "I think, I can squeeze out… just, need a minute…"

But as he had been focussed on that, Judy's attention had turned somewhere else. Glancing to her left she saw the female Coyote, stumbling slowly down the roadway amongst the debris towards the wreck of the big rig. Judy ducked down to reduce her visibility, so as not to be seen by the canine as she wobbled past on her feet, clearly still dazed from the crash, but clearly not faltered by it either…

"We might not have a minute," Judy uttered-

* * *

The clap of thunder rolled away into the distance, leaving the Fox, currently alone… shuddering from the pain he felt all over, the chilling wind and continual barrage of water droplets against his fur and clothes, while a small part- the very smallest part, in the back of Nick's mind, wished he'd never woken up. Ever.

Another part of his mind forced his gaze to look back down the roadway where they had come from… observing just about through the haze of fog and rain, where the other vehicle of the chase had crashed. He could see the LAPV was on its roof, not far back down the bridge, wrecked with pieces of debris strewn across the road, merging with that of the wrecked semi-truck. What he also saw, a moment later, was a small figure appear beside it, small enough for Nick to deduce it was Judy, and whatever state she was in, she was still on her two feet.

He contemplated rushing over to her, then and there… see if she was ok, hold her, hug her, kiss her… tell her the three simple words he'd been begging to say to her all day-

But what would be the use right now?

The rest of his mind was far more focussed on what he _had_ to do… whether he wanted to, or the current physical constraints on his body would let him or not…

Nick turned his head so his vision fixed firmly on the toppled trailer further down the length of the bridge: the dented shipping container that contained the improvised Nighthowler gas bomb-

Knowing that the timer was still counting down inside.

…

Letting out a partially suppressed growl with unintentional whimpers between it… Nick forced himself to move.

First of all, he rolled over so he was on his front before lifting himself onto all fours, feeling the drenched asphalt beneath his pawpads, and making sure each limb was good enough to then let him push himself to his two feet. He pulled his right leg forward, foot paw completely flat against the ground before pushing off the soaked tarmac beneath him, lifting his upper body… both feeling and hearing his joints crack as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Nick felt dizzy when he finally stood, but he wasn't going to let himself fall. He kept his arms partially outstretched beside him and his drenched tail extended behind him as he turned to face the direction of the overturned trailer, and began his slow wobble towards it. The wind and rain still brisked harshly against his wet fur… though less so than before as now he wasn't travelling against it on the back of a truck- yet, even as he tried to stay solid during his wander, Nick did occasionally stumble… lifting his arms to break his fall, but endured to travel on all fours before returning to his two feet, all the way till he reached the toppled trailer.

As the front end was poking off the edge of the bridge, Nick approached the rear of the container. The bolt latch for the remaining left side door had sheared, making the slab of steel fall flaccidly against the ground as the trailer was leaning on its left side with the blasted wheels facing towards him.

Taking no notice of anything but his task, Nick stepped onto the cold, wet steel, and peered inside…

The sight he came to see made him feel sick to his stomach, even more than before.

It was a miracle in itself that the crash hadn't detonated the explosives… but then again, if they were that susceptible, they would have exploded during the roadway battle anyway. The container was a mess inside: some of the canisters full of the toxic Nighthowler gas had remained in their racks, others had fallen out, crashing to the floor but remaining intact, as well as the moulds of C4 and the wires from the blasting caps had stayed in place. The four additional high explosive bombs had also fallen to the floor, now positioned unevenly on top of each other, as well as the car fuse box and battery it was all attached to, and the mangled mess of electrical wires. It was dark inside… enough so that it was another one of those times Nick was grateful for the advantage of his natural night vision that he could see anything…

But there was one light source inside, standing out brightly amongst the volatile mess, easily catching Nick's attention, and furthering his feeling of despair as he observed the ticking timer on the stripped iCarrot smartphone screen, displaying:

* * *

 _6:19_

 _…_

 _6:18_

 _…_

 _6:17_

 _…_

* * *

And slowly counting down to zero.

…

Nick stood for a moment as he watched the timer, completely clueless… wishing this was some sort of bad dream. He had no EOD training of any sort, neither did Judy. The only one of them in remote proximity who did was Fang, and he had earlier stated he failed the training… not that it would matter. Even an experienced bomb disposal technician would find disarming this many explosives with such little time left a near impossible task.

It plagued Nick's mind how this was too much like one of those action movie clichés with the ticking clock on the bomb, always usually stopping at 0:01 after a frantic attempt to disarm it. However, in this situation, Nick's gut feeling told him it wasn't going to be as simple as that… if disarming explosives could even be called: simple.

He stepped forwards into the container, trying to think of ideas, his mind still drawing a blank-

But he was abruptly stopped.

It was that moment, despite the fact it was barely a couple of minutes ago, that Nick remembered he wasn't alone in the truck when it had crashed… and he only just realised he hadn't seen his Panther adversary anywhere…

Or at least until a large jet-black paw clawed onto his right shoulder-

Nick gasped as Roan dug his claws in, caught completely off-guard as the feline yanked him backwards away from the toppled shipping container, completely sweeping the Fox from his feet as he was thrown across the saturated asphalt.

Nick landed on his side first before the momentum he was given forced him to roll, coming to rest on his rear, with his drenched brush folded between his legs.

He immediately looked up at his adversary… shocked and tense that in this darkened environment of the storm, considering that the cloud cover was so thick it made the midday feel like the midnight, Roan practically blended in with the surroundings with his jet-black fur…

But not so much that Nick couldn't see the Panther turn to face him, and begin advancing on him.

Nick shuffled away from the larger predator, the natural fight-or-flight instinct kicking in… though this time it was telling him to fly, knowing he was more than outmatched with his exhaustion and injuries working against him. Not to mention as well, that Roan was twice his size, and at least twice his strength. The Panther looked almost no different from earlier, bar a few rips on his clothing and a few bleeding cuts and grazes… he had probably fared the best after the incident…

And that made Nick even more desperate to run.

…

But he didn't.

…

Nick ignored his instincts, knowing the fight was inevitable… even if he was outmatched, he thought not about his own well-being or self-preservation. Only one thought was currently traversing his mind:

 _That Panther needs to die._

And Nick would put up all the fight left in him that he could muster.

…

Roan continued to advance on him, silent snarls exuding from his muzzle as Nick gradually backed away, still shuffling on the ground-

Until his right paw landed on something.

Nick didn't look what it was, but it was solid, cold, wet, metal… perfectly grabbable, and not too heavy…

So he clamped his paw on it, and shifted his weight to his left… catching the Panther by surprise when Nick swung the bar of steel that used to belong to the front of the truck, directly against Roan's left leg.

The Panther had not, at all, been expecting such a feat of strength from the battered and bleeding Fox- Nick too, was surprised himself… getting a boost to his confidence that he might put up more of a fight than he thought he could when Roan's left leg buckled and he fell to the floor in front of him…

As Roan landed, he propped himself up on his left arm as he took the sudden blunt strike of the steel bar-

Nick took his chance, putting his strength into his right leg before kicking the Panther's arm from holding him up, forcing it to buckle too, and leaving Roan completely exposed on his front.

Nick continued to put his strength in his legs, specifically, now using his left foot to repeatedly strike Roan in the head-

But it was clear it was more of a mild nuisance to the Panther, rather than actually hurting him… as barely a couple of seconds into the commotion, Roan easily grabbed Nick's left leg, pinning it from moving before lifting his head, revealing his callous smile to the Fox.

Nick didn't even notice until he felt it…

That Roan had pulled out his faithful folding karambit, had swung the knife blade out with a flick-

And stabbed it straight through Nick's left foot…

* * *

At that moment, Judy and Fang's ears perked up in horror as a sudden scream echoed through the storm, catching their attention in the instant…

It was Nick.

And something was wrong with him... Judy's heart filled with a feeling of dread; she had never once before heard such a horrific scream come from that Fox, one that was clearly an outcry of insurmountable agony.

Judy immediately turned to face the direction down the bridge towards the wreck of the semi-truck, still seeing the female Coyote lumbering towards it, but not being able to see Nick at all. He was out of view-

And another horrific scream from him quickly intensified her fear…

"Go help him…" Fang said suddenly.

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me… I'll get myself out of this sh*t…" Fang expressed, now having turned his head from his position on his back to also see the staggering Coyote, "… Take this…" he continued, reacquiring Judy's gaze and pulling out the extendable baton from his pocket that he had kept from his fight on the back of the LAPV earlier, and handed it to the Bunny, speaking forcefully; "… Waste that bitch…"

…

Judy's expression slowly changed from showing her pain and despair… transforming when she furrowed her eyebrows and closed her mouth into a frown as she re-found her composure, her usual, almost abnormally strong spirit of determination… and willingly, she took the collapsible nightstick from the downed Wolf.

She was in no condition to fight, she knew it… and yet she chose to…

Judy turned around, forcing herself to her feet, keeping as much weight off her injured right leg as possible to stand as firm as her body would let her… scowling as she stared forward at the female Coyote who currently had her back to the Bunny.

After all… Judy had unfinished business with her…

…

* * *

Roan had brought the knife down hard: the blade had torn in all the way to the handle, stabbing Nick straight through his left foot paw, breaking through the bottom support of his ankle protector, bypassing his bone, with the tip of the blade coming out the other side with a splatter, and now, a gentle stream of blood coming from the wound.

Nick hadn't even noticed his horrific scream of agony when he did it… having been overcome by the sudden shock and overwhelming pain when the sharp blade of Roan's trusty knife pierced his flesh.

In an effort to break the Panther away or do anymore damage with the blade, Nick made a retaliatory kick with his free right foot directly to Roan's muzzle…

But as he recoiled, Roan dragged the knife out-

"AARRRRGGHH!"

Forcing another horrific howl of agony from the Fox as the blade came out at a partially different angle it had entered, allowing more blood to gush from the wound.

Without a dither, Nick leaned over to his left and reached forward with his arms to crawl forwards in a vain attempt to escape, whilst expelling pained gasps and whimpers of agony through quick and heavy breaths. He dragged his left leg behind him flaccidly, with a stream of crimson exuding from the wound, leaving a thick trail of blood which was almost instantly washed away by the rainfall.

The pain was agonising… completely overtaking anything that Nick had been inflicted with earlier in the day, despite having been stabbed by shards of glass and other weapons, as well as being punched and kicked all over and smacked in the head more times than he could count… that stab was the final nail in the coffin.

He had to get away.

…

But where would he go?

…

Nick knew there was nowhere to run… even if he could on his now gammy foot paw.

He knew there was no way out of this fight.

Even if he was currently allowing his natural instincts to force his actions, retreating from the larger predator to escape…

He wasn't about to give up, not now... delving into the mind-set of that almost abnormally strong spirit of determination, something that had rubbed off on him having spent so much time with his lapine partner… Nick was now as stubborn and unwavering as Judy was.

…

As he crawled away across the soaked tarmac of the bridge, still being able to feel the sway of the road deck in the harsh wind, Nick looked back behind him with a growl as Roan had returned to his feet, and was advancing on him again.

Soon though, Nick had retreated away as far as he could, now finding himself against the mangled and wrecked metal of the semi-truck's forward mounted ram.

Nick clambered up it, using the crumpled steel to help pull himself to his feet.

He felt dizzy… dizzier than ever due to the blood loss. The sharp pain of the stab had nearly dissipated, but the throbbing ache continued to pulse from the wound all the way up his leg. He was managing to move it, even daring to stand on it… but it still hurt like hell as Nick was back on his two feet, forcing away the impression of pain and despair on his face when he furrowed his eyebrows and closed his mouth into a frown as he re-found his composure…

And to Roan's astonishment, Nick, as wobbly as he was on his feet, put up his paws to form two weakly clenched fists;

"You've got some fu*kin balls Nick… I'll give you that!" Roan complimented snidely, "I'm surprised you're even still standing-"

"Oh, trust me…" Nick talked back through heavy breaths, "… I'm so full of surprises… I surprise even myself…"

"So I see…" Roan grinned maliciously, "… but it doesn't matter, because in five minutes we're both gonna be dead… but if you _want_ me to beat you to death before that happens, I've got no problem with that-"

Nick sneered; "Heh… I've taken enough hits today to put down an elephant… I think I can take a few more…"

"Suit yourself… However, if you _are_ going to try and fight me…" Roan paused, as he reached into a pocket on his gear and pulled out one of the transparent inhalers full of the Nighthowler performance enhancer…

Nick groaned silently to himself when he saw it, knowing almost for sure his defiance against the Panther had now certified his death, thinking Roan was about to use it-

So he was quite taken aback when Roan _didn't_ use the inhaler himself… and instead threw it at Nick's feet before finishing his sentence with a cold smile;

"… at least make it a challenge."

…

Nick hesitated… as was to be expected.

But that was wasting time.

Assuming the Panther had been speaking the truth about the variant of the serum inside the inhaler, Nick knew that taking a dose of it would be the only possible way he could win this fight, and even then his odds were slim.

Nick dropped down, snatching the inhaler up in his right paw before standing back up, and lifting the mouthpiece to his muzzle-

"Careful…" Roan warned, making Nick hesitate again until the Panther continued his sentence, "… the first hit is always the strongest…"

…

Nick brought the inhaler to his muzzle, breathing out fully before placing the mouthpiece to his lips and pressing the canister. Inhaling fully, he took all of the cerulean gas into his lungs-

…

The effects were instant.

Nick could feel the drug rush through his weary form- transforming his body into anything but weary. It practically flushed away all his pain momentarily before it returned in a much duller, and easily manageable state, as well as lavishing a wash of energy to every single one of his tired muscles, giving him that much needed second wind. Reality seemed to be passing by in slow motion, but was still in real time… increasing his reaction time and fine tuning his senses… his eyesight became so refined he could make out almost every single droplet of rain individually, as well as hearing them impact the metal he was standing beside…

It certainly had given Nick the rush he needed… and unknowingly wanted.

…

Roan smirked as he watched the Fox use the inhaler… before Nick dropped his arms to his sides and tossed the inhaler back to him.

The Panther caught the plastic device easily in his paw, placing it back into the pocket he had retrieved it from, whilst not taking his malevolent eyes off the Fox as Nick scowled and growled in defiance at the larger predator.

The standoff didn't last for very long… and even if Roan wasn't going to get his complete victory the way he wanted it, he would at least get the chance to vent all that rage on the mammal that ruined and deprived him of the conquest he had worked so hard to fulfil… and Roan was going to enjoy every moment of it…


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

 ** _'Zootopian Standoff – Part 2: Dual Duels'_**

* * *

Not so far down the bridge from the standoff between the Fox and the Panther, Madelyn was wandering purposefully towards the main wreckage of the semi-truck to find Roan… that was the only thing going through her mind right now.

They were so devoted to each other, and were so devoted to their cause…

So if they were going to die for it, they would do it side-by-side.

She was clutching her side while she walked slowly. Even through the dampened down effects of the Nighthowler inhaler she had used before boarding the LAPV to assault the Wolf and Rabbit, she could still feel the dullened throbbing pain of at least one broken rib, and something in her leg that was forcing her to limp… among other injuries.

She hadn't bothered to check the state of the two police officers she had assaulted, believing not to worry about them. Both the Rabbit and the Wolf cop were already injured to the point she assumed confidently that she could beat them both down… and they hadn't bothered her as such yet-

Until she was suddenly tackled from behind…

Madelyn was immediately knocked to the floor, cringing from her broken rib as she landed directly on her front, having noticeably been attacked by a mammal smaller than her, almost half her size:

The Bunny cop.

Madelyn growled at that realisation… now remembering what it was in her right leg that was causing her to limp: the gunshot wound from when the Rabbit's partner, the Fox cop, had shot her… as well as her injured shoulder, even though that was more of a graze than an actual gunshot wound.

The Coyote turned her head with a growl…

A moment of déjà vu passed by for both mammals: it was almost identical to the time they fought at the start of the day in the alleyway. Judy stood firmly over the Coyote, collapsible nightstick in paw and ready for action, however wobbly she was on her feet from the original, and now worsened injury the same canine had inflicted on her.

Despite Nick getting her payback for her… ever since she had suffered the worst pain she experienced in her life, Judy wanted her own taste of sweet revenge…

"So…" Madelyn smirked, "… Round two, bunny bitch?"

Judy scowled; "Something like that…" she bit back angrily, "… but this time… _no_ guns…"

But with that comment, Judy had unknowingly made her upcoming fight far more difficult. Madelyn just then remembered she had not been unarmed before the crash.

She glanced around her briefly- to her luck, seeing the discarded M870 shotgun that she had previously used, the weapon lying on the roadway not but a short dash away from her amongst the debris of the vehicle wrecks, knowing there was at least a few shells left loaded in it.

And Judy traced the canid's eye-line, seeing the weapon herself-

"Speak for yourself, bun-bun," Madelyn sneered…

…

Judy was distracted, having been glancing anxiously at the weapon when the Coyote spoke-

And completely unprepared for when Madelyn lifted her good left leg and kicked the Bunny directly in her chest.

Judy was forced right of her feet, falling hard on her back against the solid and soaked asphalt of the roadway, also making her drop the extendable nightstick. It straight away reminded her again of the fight she had against the same canine earlier that day- barely more than 3 or 4 hours ago now… Madelyn having made the exact same cunning manoeuvre when going to retrieve her gun before shooting the Rabbit.

Judy had got lucky then… very lucky in fact, that the Coyote's machine pistol had jammed and Nick had reached her before the canine could finish the job-

But Judy knew she wasn't going to get lucky a second time, knowing that in her stumble and inability to jump back to her feet with her usual haste due to her injuries, the Coyote would easily pull the shotgun on her before she could stop her… and with Nick preoccupied himself or worse, and Fang still trapped in the overturned LAPV…

Judy was on her own.

…

As Madelyn dived for the shotgun, Judy glanced to her right, seeing one of the steel armour plates that used to belong to the trailer of the big rig…

Even if her lightweight ballistic vest _could_ stop the pellets of the shotgun's 12 gauge buckshot shells… considering Judy's small size, the force behind the blast itself could easily cause enough blunt trauma to kill her… plus, Judy wasn't going to risk getting shot again.

She crawled over as fast as she could, reaching over to the dented and bent slab of steel, easily a size large enough to shield her… but also very heavy.

Nevertheless, Judy persevered; she thrust her paws beneath it, and with a strained grunt she lifted the steel armour plate in front of her almost the same instant the Coyote had the shotgun pointed in her direction-

* * *

The echoing blast of a gunshot, as well as a distinct sound of ballistics impacting metal, caught Fang's ears.

While still trapped partially inside the overturned LAPV, he twisted his head on the ground to see the duel between his lapine comrade and the Coyote through the persistent heavy rain and fog…

If it could even be called a duel, or at least a fair one… Fang knew Judy enough to know she wasn't to be underestimated, but it didn't take a genius to know that in the state she was in, the Bunny was possibly outmatched, and that was disregarding the fact the Coyote had a loaded firearm, and she didn't.

Fang knew he had to get free and help as soon as possible, both Judy _and_ Nick, whatever situation he was in. The Wolf swiftly turned his attention back down to where he was trapped; his left leg was free, as was his tail after a wiggle and pulling on it- incidentally ripping out some fur which caused a gasp to escape the Wolf's maw. However, his right leg was still trapped, partly from the fact the warped metal of the LAPV's roof had pinned above his knee, and he couldn't reach far enough to undo his kneepad, and the metal was digging into his leg so much he was surprised he _wasn't_ bleeding from it.

Nevertheless, with as much vigour as he could despite his exhaustion, and as quick as he could too, Fang reached forwards to try and prise the metal from his leg to free himself…

* * *

The blast from the shotgun had also echoed the other way down the bridge, briefly catching Nick and Roan's attention. They both glanced down the roadway, partially seeing the battle between the Rabbit and Coyote through the rain and fog, the two mammals both passing by a moment of fear for the one they loved.

Though Roan glanced for longer…

And Nick took advantage of the distraction-

Quickly turning his attention back to the larger predator, Nick charged forwards at the Panther with a savage, un-fox-like roar, tackling Roan at his legs…

Though it seemed, no-matter how much stronger it made him feel, under the effects of the Nighthowler inhaler, Nick was still hindered by his size.

Roan barely moved as he pushed back against the sudden impact of the Fox, then reached down, clamping both paws on both of Nick's arms before lifting, swinging and throwing the Fox around the opposite side of himself across the tarmac.

With a flick of his tail, Nick corrected himself in mid-air, landing on all fours-

Until a sharp sting of pain gouged into his left foot paw, making his left leg buckle… it also seemed even if the inhalant had dulled the pain, Nick could still feel some sporadic discomfort break through its effects.

But he didn't let it get to him…

Because Roan was on him again-

Nick had scarcely stumbled back to his two feet when Roan lifted a foot and kicked him directly in the chest, knocking Nick back down onto the tarmac…

Except he promptly used that momentum the Panther had given him to roll backwards, and was almost instantly back on his feet, standing defiantly before the feline.

Putting very little effort into this fight against the Fox cop, Roan lifted his foot to kick him again-

But as he thrust his leg forward, he was taken aback when Nick sidestepped his attack, grabbed hold of the Panther's leg and then raised his own leg to kick Roan's other from beneath him.

Nick put all his strength into that kick, successfully knocking Roan to the ground on his back, but also falling himself with a pained yelp, having used his severely injured left foot to kick the Panther down.

Roan grunted too… but not from pain, from annoyance… with a little chuckle following it as he admired the valiant vulpine's efforts against him while they both lay exposed on the soaked roadway-

* * *

The blast of the shotgun was so powerful against Judy's hasty and improvised propped up shield that it easily knocked her backwards, much like the Coyote's earlier kick had, making Judy trip onto her back and preventing her from holding up the tough piece of metal.

The heavy armour plate almost fell on top of her before she lifted her left foot to stop it, coiling her good leg and groaning as she summoned the strength to push it forward-

And completely exposing herself to the opposing Coyote combatant's line of fire…

Fortunately for Judy, she could see through the heavy rain that Madelyn appeared to be struggling to pull the pump of the gun towards herself to eject the expended cartridge and rechamber the barrel with another shell. The weapon was slightly too big for her, so she was eventually forced to break her aim and lift the barrel upwards to let gravity help her do it.

So Judy made use of this chance…

She knew she couldn't reach the Coyote in time to halt her next shot, but she could at least find something else solid to hide behind again. There was little to offer, but glancing further to her right, she found just that. Judy hopped up, using her good left leg to propel her dive for the cover of what used to be the V8 diesel engine block of the semi-truck-

Just as another shot rang out.

Judy landed behind the engine block with a thud against the wet tarmac, with a short ringing left in her ears from the last crack of gunfire. Glancing behind where she had come from, she could see the hole that had been gouged into the asphalt by the Coyote's shotgun;

"Come on out bun-bun!" Madelyn taunted, "I wanna see if those ears of yours stay attached when I blow your head off!-"

* * *

Roan waited for Nick to make a move first in their position on the floor… he was curious how long the Fox would go on for, and what he would resort to, to try and beat him.

It took a moment for Nick to pull himself back up. After a mild cringe from the fall onto the tarmac, he quickly scurried onto all fours, fast as he could, moving round the side of the downed Panther to reach Roan's face…

Nick didn't take any notice, or hadn't even realised that Roan was toying with him- lifting his paw to punch it back down against Roan's muzzle as he noticed the Panther turn to face him.

It was a shockingly strong punch… Roan immediately felt the impact shock as the Fox's paw struck his muzzle, subsequently smacking the back of his head on the solid asphalt beneath him. He exhibited a short gasp that very swiftly transformed into a pitiful chuckle as Nick continued his action: moving behind the Panther and wrapping his right arm around the feline's neck to catch him in a choke hold while still lying in the ground…

Roan _did_ struggle for a moment as Nick had him constricted around his neck-

 _Only_ for a moment.

Barely a couple of seconds went by before Roan rolled to his left, lifting his upper body from the ground, but still with the Fox clasped around his neck…

That was until Roan lifted his paws to clasp onto the Fox on his back… letting out a fierce roar as he dragged Nick's grip from his throat and pulled the Fox over his head before slamming him onto the ground.

The back plate of Nick's vest took most of that brunt, having landed straight on his back. Even so, after a brief gasp and cringe from the force of the impact, Nick looked up to see the Panther bearing down on him-

Instantly throwing another hard jab at Roan's muzzle.

Like Nick's first punch, it was shockingly strong, forcing Roan to recoil his head away… pausing as he tasted a slither of his own blood from a cut in his gums…

Now, he was done playing around.

…

As the Panther was mildly stunned, Nick twisted on the spot, swishing his tail to accelerate his momentum, quickly jumping to his feet-

And wincing hard from the burning shot of pain in his left foot…

He knew his hits were hurting his adversary… but his time was limited (in more ways than one). The drug had done all it could for him, and was already wearing off. Nick knew he had to do all he could while he still had the chance.

While Roan was still crouched forwards, leaning on his paws, Nick lifted his right foot before throwing his leg forwards, striking the Panther directly in the nose.

Roan made a mild flinch, backing away slightly…

With a step forward, Nick lifted his left foot before thrusting it forward-

Only Roan grabbed his leg this time… leaning up himself to lift Nick's leg higher and throw him off balance before brutally thrusting a claw into the stab wound on his foot.

Nick howled in agony from the incision, completely losing his resolve for the moment the pain coursed through his nerves.

The next moment he didn't even realise, Roan had thrust his other paw forward, now grabbing Nick by both legs before lifting him up from the ground, twisting him around as the Panther stood and threw the Fox to land and roll across the soaked tarmac.

…

It took him a moment to compose himself; Nick groaned with a hard wince as he tried to lift himself up after being lifted, thrown, and floored by his adversary again. This was one of those times in his life that he was less thankful for his smaller size, of which there were very few, as Nick knew better than to pick fights with mammals that were larger than him…

Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those times.

Nick lifted his head first, shaking it to clear his mind and futilely get the worst of the wet from his fur. He leaned up on his arms as he looked forward, glancing at several pieces of debris from the crash, pieces of glass, sheared metal… one piece of which, was directly in front of him. He didn't care from where on the truck it used to be part of, only that it was sharp and jagged, and perfectly sized for Nick to use as a shiv…

And so he did, deciding now was a time to fight dirty, as he clamped his right paw on the jagged piece of metal…

* * *

"Come on, bun-bun… You can't hide there forever!" Madelyn sneered again-

Before pulling the trigger as she saw the Bunny take a peek at her from behind the engine block.

Judy squeaked in fright as she ducked away when the distinct sound of blasted metal filled her ears. She silently cursed at herself as she hid behind the engine block, having forgotten to pick up the collapsible baton Fang had given her… not that it would do much good to her right now…

But Judy knew that the Coyote wouldn't have unlimited ammunition. The Bunny played it patiently, waiting till the canine grew impatient as she marked her position.

Judy didn't have to wait long…

"Fine…" Madelyn hissed to herself, "… we'll do it _your_ way…"

She kept the shotgun aimed true, slowly beginning to advance on the huge engine block where the Bunny cop was hiding-

And quickly pulling the trigger for another blast of the weapon as Judy dared to peek again.

The Bunny made another involuntary squeak of fright when the pellets gouged into the metal as she ducked away. Judy was crouched down, almost all of her weight on her good left leg rather than her injured right leg, her nose twitching uncontrollably, whilst biting her lip at the pain she felt all over as her breath came out with heavy puffs of fear.

She had seen the Coyote was advancing on her position, and knew that the canid would put her down without any hesitation. Judy examined the engine block in front of her, looking for any of the components she could use as a makeshift weapon. Her eyes eventually landed on the timing belt, still intact around the gears of the crankshaft and camshaft… thinking, if she could get close enough, she could lasso the composite rubber belt around the Coyote's shotgun, and disarm her.

It was the best option Judy could think of. She placed both paws on the cam belt, pulling on the rubber as much as she could until the grooves in the belt disconnected from the grooves on the engine. The rubber became slack as it pulled free from the first gear, making the others a much easier job as Judy ripped the timing belt from the engine.

It was long, longer than Judy if she was lying down from tip of ear to toe, but it wasn't too heavy or cumbersome for her to use… so she prepared herself, with her back against the engine block and hearing the frustrated Coyote approaching, with her overconfidence leading her to come far closer than she ought to…

The very second Madelyn rounded the right side of the Bunny's cover with her shotgun raised, prepared to shoot at point-blank, Judy swung the strip of rubber to her right, catching it around the barrel of the shotgun and swiftly pulled it down away from her to aim at the floor-

But she had inadvertently left herself open for Madelyn to make an easy countermove…

As the Rabbit pulled the gun barrel downwards, Madelyn swung the stock of the shotgun to collide directly against the lapine, hitting Judy directly in her left cheek hard enough to tear open a small gash and taste blood in her mouth, easily knocking the Bunny to the floor with an agonised squeak as she dropped the cam belt.

Judy looked up with a strain, observing the Coyote fiddling to release the barrel of the shotgun from the strip of rubber before pointing it directly at the Bunny with a callous smirk… whilst Judy was still stunned, defenceless on the ground.

…

This was it.

Game over.

Judy half expected for her life to flash before her eyes as she voluntarily closed them, cringed, looked away, and waited for the deafening bang that would end her life-

…

But Judy _did_ get lucky again…

A quiet click came from the weapon when Madelyn pulled the trigger.

She was out of ammo.

Judy swiftly opened her eyes at the sound, and made a small one sided smirk at the Coyote's irritated pulls of the trigger, only leading to more quiet clicks…

With a frustrated snarl, Madelyn instead raised the shotgun to use it as a club to beat the Rabbit to death-

But before she even had chance to do so, Judy had glanced down and noticed that Madelyn had foolishly stepped forward so that her left foot was standing in the loop of the timing belt Judy had dropped, which was still easily in her reach…

Pulling it towards her with all her might, Judy yanked the belt till it was taut around the Coyote's left ankle, pulling Madelyn's leg from beneath her and causing her to drop to the ground: twisting and landing hard on her right side- the side with her (at-least one) broken rib, causing her to howl in pain when she landed.

With the Coyote stunned, Judy made her next move… hopping as fast as she could to attack the downed canid and do as much damage as possible before Madelyn roused herself…

Judy climbed on top of her, snatching tightly to the Coyote's shirt collar with her left paw before throwing all her energy and anger into several hard punches with her right, repeatedly striking Madelyn in her muzzle with an un-bunny-like growl.

The Rabbit's jabs were precise, and shockingly painful as they collided against her snout… until Madelyn swiftly caused them to cease:

She grabbed Judy's arm on her fifth punch, whilst simultaneously thrusting her other paw to the Bunny's stomach, winding her before throwing the lapine away.

Judy was thrown to her right, away from the Coyote by a good few feet, landing and rolling till she came to a stop. She winced hard when she did, panting out her breaths from her winding and her exhaustion… as well as her injuries.

But Judy had little time for respite-

A fierce growl from behind her made her turn her head, seeing Madelyn swing the timing belt down on top of her, having retrieved the makeshift weapon herself- the rubber slapped loudly against the water soaked asphalt as Judy rolled from its path.

She looked up as she had rolled to her front; Judy could see the Coyote's nose bleeding, most likely from her brutal jabbing punches-

And the canine had also raised the strip of rubber again, swinging it downwards to strike the Bunny.

Judy rolled partially to her left, enough so that the belt slapped against the road beside her again… but this time, before Madelyn could lift it, Judy rolled back to her right, onto her back, and grabbed onto the belt before yanking it to pull Madelyn off balance towards her… whilst coiling both her legs to strike the Coyote directly in her already bleeding nose-

Though Judy had used her legs, her most powerful physical asset, at a cost… crying out in pain from the jolt she had given herself to her severely injured right leg…

But it worked… her powerful double kick struck the Coyote's muzzle, causing Madelyn to flinch backwards with a whimper, lifting her paws to her now further bleeding nose, as well as her maw, until she tripped over her own feet and tail, and fell onto the soaked tarmac.

That gave Judy a chance for a very brief breather- yet she spent most of it cringing from the pain in her leg, suppressing tears as her nerves burned, breath heavy.

But Judy knew she didn't have time for this- to waste… her adversary was currently down, but not out.

The Rabbit turned over till she was on her front, seeing the collapsible baton still in its extended position from when she had dropped it, lying on its own in the middle of the road. And, with a strain, Judy slowly began to crawl towards it-

Until behind her, she heard the Coyote's agonised whimpers turn into angered growls…

…

While lying on the cold wet tarmac, Madelyn eventually pulled her paws from her pained and bleeding muzzle to partially prop herself up… snarling furiously at the Bunny cop when she laid her eyes on her. Madelyn didn't care if she even resorted to mauling the Rabbit to death with her own claws… only that she knew she wanted to kill that Bunny.

Looking to her left, her sight landed upon a piece of angle iron amongst the assorted wreckage around them. Prior to the crash, it used to be attached as part of the reinforcement for the shipping container of the 18 wheeler, but during the incident the weld had failed and had sheared off the metal to a jagged tip at one end of the staff of perpendicular steel… perfectly sharp enough to gouge through flesh and fur…

Madelyn reached over and clamped her paws on the improvised weapon, first using it to help herself return to her feet, and then intending to use it as a spear, and brutally impale the Rabbit upon it-

…

Without looking behind herself, Judy's hearing caught the metallic scraping sound of something across the wet tarmac, immediately assuming that the Coyote was rousing herself to finish her off with something made of metal…

But Judy wasn't about to let that happen.

Instead of crawling now, she lifted herself up, pulling her left leg forward to coil and launch herself forward, diving for the baton and latching her right paw onto the steel rod firmly. It was sized for larger mammals, but that was of little hindrance to Judy with the amount of adrenaline rushing through her right now… plus it gave her a much needed longer reach to attack her larger adversary.

She stayed in a crouched ready position, like a coiled spring ready to bounce… her ears perked up and angled in a way she could clearly hear the Coyote approaching behind her, even through the thunderous racket of the storm around them…

Judy had made a quick on the spot plan, one that she knew, given the state of her injured leg, was bound to hurt… a lot.

But if she succeeded, she knew she could win this… maybe.

She was just waiting for the Coyote to get closer to her…

…

Staggering against the rain and wind, Madelyn stalked the crouched Bunny until she was directly behind her, raising her improvised spear, firmly held with both paws until she had the sharpened end directed at the Rabbit-

A flash of lightning behind the both of them illuminated the ground… creating a split-second shadow that told Judy the canine was right behind, ready to strike her down…

And as the thunder quickly followed… Judy made her move:

With all her strength, she pushed off the soaked asphalt with both legs- the searing stab of pain coursing up her injured right, but did little to dampen what was an impressive display of her agility and surprising strength as she launched herself from the ground, jumping up to the Coyote's level and twisting in the air… wielding the extendable baton that Judy swung with immense vigour-

Striking Madelyn clean in the side of her muzzle.

…

That was the beginning of the Coyote's downfall…

* * *

Clutching hard to his makeshift knife: the jagged piece of metal that was also cutting into his paw as he held it… Nick readied himself for Roan's next attack on him…

Which quickly came as Nick felt a paw clasp hard onto the length of his tail… And at that same point, he turned and twisted to swing the shiv-

Stabbing Roan straight into his right forearm.

The Panther roared out in pain as the metal cut through his fur and into his flesh, forcing him to relieve Nick's tail from his grip…

But it did little to break him down:

Nick was taken aback when Roan swiftly retaliated: strangely reaching forward with his left arm to grab the back of his head…

Which was made clear why, when the Panther lifted his left knee to collide with the Fox's muzzle… sending Nick backwards till the back of his head hit the cold wet tarmac again, putting him into a daze as blood seeped from his nose.

Nick began to shuffle away from the larger predator, looking up at him as Roan dragged the metal shiv from his arm, the jagged blade coated in his blood, before he threw it away, leaving a trickle of crimson exuding from his wound… yet he seemed somehow completely unfazed by the stabbing. Now, as he advanced on the Fox again, Roan reached for and redrew his folding karambit from his gear, wielding it in his right paw…

Fearing that he would get stabbed again, Nick quickly resorted to using the rest of the debris around to help him:

As he shuffled backwards some more away from his foe bearing down on him, Nick reached over to his left, grabbing several shards of broken glass before throwing them at the Panther…

Roan blinked and looked away as the crystalline shards hit him… making minor cuts, some of the smaller ones getting caught in his fur.

It also halted him in his tracks for a moment, enough for Nick to clamber to his feet and pick up another lump of debris: another piece of sheared metal from the bodywork of the wrecked truck. As Roan began to stroll towards him again, Nick strained himself as he lifted the heavier and larger piece of metal and threw it at the Panther…

Roan would have dodged it, but despite the wavering energy the Fox cop could muster, the metal came much quicker than expected, striking him in his left leg, and forcing it to buckle.

Nick, again, quickly made use of Roan's latest flinch:

Stumbling over his feet- cringing every time and making a bloody paw print that was swiftly washed away by the rain every time he stepped with his left… Nick reached for another metal bar that used to be attached to the front of the truck and had sheared during the crash…

He lifted it with a strain, dragging it first across the tarmac, creating a metallic scraping sound before lifting it fully and holding it upright firmly with both paws…

And before Roan had even stood back up straight-

Nick swung the metal pole with a mad snarl, striking the feline in the underside of his muzzle, successfully knocking the Panther backwards whilst exuding a grunt of discomfort and making another when he landed on his right side.

Roan only had chance to spit out a gob of blood from his bleeding gums before Nick attacked again: swinging the steel bar down on his head-

Except it didn't strike Roan's head… he quickly lifted his left arm to block the Fox's downwards swing… cringing with a snarl when the metal collided with it, and leaving himself open for another assault.

Nick lifted the steel staff again, making the most of this chance to do as much damage to the Panther as possible, roaring wildly as he swung it down to strike the feline's ribs…

It struck solidly, Roan having little chance to block it this time, as he had still been cringing from the blow to his left arm. He flinched again as the staff hit him, but prepared himself…

He was impressed that the Fox cop had put up this much of a fight, even though Roan was on purposely going easy on him... but right now, after taking a few good blows from him, tasting and drawing his own blood, Roan wanted nothing more than to finish him…

And so, when Nick swung the bar again with a mad growl, colliding against the Panther's side once more-

Roan made his countermove: promptly grabbing onto Nick's improvised staff as it hit him, preventing the Fox from moving it before Roan simultaneously yanked on the steel pole, pulling Nick towards him, whilst flipping his karambit in his right paw into a forward grip, and thrust the blade forwards-

Stabbing Nick in the left side of his abdomen.

It didn't go in far… not all the way to the handle as it did with his foot… but in the momentary milliseconds the knife cleaved into him, Nick didn't cry out in agony this time… only let out a gasp as the shock of the knife cutting into his body overwhelmed him-

Until Roan abruptly dragged the blade out, before twisting on the ground and lifting a foot to kick the stunned Fox away, simply making Nick drop his improvised weapon, stagger backwards and stumble to the floor…

As Nick fell onto the cold, wet tarmac of the bridge, it was then that the indescribable pain engulfed him- like a searing hot iron pressing and penetrating into his side. He clutched his newest wound, placing his paw on it to try and do something to lessen the bleeding. He felt sick- dizzy… his breathing now heavier and quicker as ever before. Nick could feel the oozing warmness of his own blood drenching the fur on his right paw as he leaned across himself. He strained himself to look down at it…

Roan had either made a lucky stab, or had more than likely went for it on purpose… as the knife had stabbed Nick in his side, bypassing his vest that would have likely stopped the blade despite being best designed for stopping bullets than blades…

Not that it mattered right now.

As he lay exposed on the floor, Nick was in his own little world… Completely forgetting where he was and what he was doing… only that he had to tend to his wound by applying pressure to it and also try to elevate it as he leaned over onto his right side, swapping his paws over to apply the pressure with his left instead.

It seemed the only thing he could do, even though it felt it was doing very little… Nick felt like he was about to throw up, as despite his efforts, his blood was just pouring out, soaking his clothes and his fur before forming a small puddle beside him that instantly merged with the falling rainwater…

And it wasn't about to get any better for him.

…

Through his fading senses, Nick instantly remembered what he had been doing prior to his stabbing, as he heard Roan's footsteps coming towards him-

And the next thing he knew, Nick was grabbed by his tail… yanked up from the base of his spine before behind flung around in the air again, like a rag doll, until he collided against the hard metal of the truck's crumpled ram, and dropped to the floor…

* * *

A small stream of saliva mixed with blood escaped the Coyote's maw as Judy swung the baton directly against Madelyn's muzzle, making her drop her improvised spear and fall down onto the ground with a thud and howl of agony…

Meanwhile Judy landed from her audacious jump, firmly on both legs- her injured right instantly collapsed beneath her as another bout of pain shot up it, causing the Rabbit to drop to the floor in a heap with a gasp of anguish.

…

While on the floor, Madelyn again, had her paws clutched to her muzzle from the latest assault to it, silently whimpering in agony, and fuming with rage.

Judy didn't waste any time; she dragged herself back to her feet as quick as she could manage, going to attack the canine while she was down, and make sure she would stay down…

Madelyn had barely pulled her paws away from her face to scowl at the Bunny before she was assaulted again, further intensifying her rage.

As Judy came within reach, she swung the baton down hard, striking Madelyn in her right ribs… almost directly where her broken one was and so forced another howl of agony from the canine-

Which quickly transformed into another infuriated growl…

Judy barely noticed when Madelyn had reached in front of herself and clasped her paws on another piece of debris: another plate of steel armour that used to belong to the trailer truck before being ripped off in the crash.

This one was smaller, but was still heavy… so when Madelyn lifted the slab of metal and blocked Judy's next downwards swing of the baton, the Bunny was caught right off guard when the Coyote lifted the steel plate to push Judy's weapon away, leaving her defenceless… at which point Madelyn swung the slab of metal again to strike the Rabbit down…

Unlike before though, Judy kept hold of her baton as she was sent back down to the ground spinning and landing on her front. From the way she had been standing over the Coyote, she had been struck in her right side… feeling a dull throbbing pain in her right shoulder now as she tried to move it.

She pulled herself forwards to gain some distance from her adversary, who seemed to have barely moved herself. Judy lifted her left leg forwards so as to crouch where she was… and regain her bearings. As she puffed out some long pained wheezes, she knew she couldn't take another hit, especially not one like that… all she wanted to do right now was collapse and rest.

But not before she'd dealt with that Coyote…

Judy glanced behind herself as she remained hunkered down, seeing that Madelyn had discarded the slab of metal in favour of her far more wieldy makeshift spear: the jagged ended piece of angle iron, and she had slowly returned to her feet. The right side of the canid's muzzle was partially swollen, a gash cut open where Judy had struck her… matching the one that the canine had not long ago put on her with the shotgun stock, except on the opposite side of the face. Madelyn's nose was dripping with blood, as well as a little seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Unknowingly to Judy, she didn't look all that different; blood was also seeping from a gash in her left cheek and her nose, and she could taste a small trickle of it in her mouth… but right now, she wasn't taking any notice of it-

Because Madelyn swiftly lunged at her with her makeshift spear…

Judy ducked and rolled away as the metal flew over her, the canine having swung the long L-bar rather than stabbing with it. Judy gave herself enough momentum that she rolled instantly back onto her feet, ready for the Coyote's next attack-

The next lunge however, Madelyn did go to stab at her…

As Madelyn thrust the length of angle iron towards her, Judy swiftly swung the baton to knock the jagged end of steel away from her whilst also sidestepping from its path… remaining light on her feet before she instantly swung the baton again with two quick motions to strike the Coyote's leg.

Madelyn instantly flinched from the impacts, almost completely dropping to her knees… before, in retaliation, she swung her metal staff at the Bunny again-

Only for Judy to block it, again, grabbing both ends of her nightstick to stop the Coyote's weapon from striking her head, and pushed it away with all her strength before swinging her baton twice more to strike the Coyote's other leg, forcing her to buckle down to her height, as Judy made a third blow to her chest… and final fourth to her head…

Madelyn collapsed completely this time, dropping her improvised spear and falling to her front in a heap on the ground, groaning and barely stirring.

…

And so, it appeared to be over…

Judy stood triumphantly over her adversary, slowly catching her breath, however tempted she was to just collapse from her own pain and exhaustion as the adrenaline started to dissipate. Yet, something was stopping her, as Judy scowled at the downed canine, burning with a white hot rage- something Judy had never felt before. She had only first seen or met this Coyote in person today, only it felt like they had been mortal enemies all their lives. Judy could never recall a feeling of hatred to anyone in her life as much as this one, single predator before her… who had very nearly killed her, but in turn, had maimed her- possibly permanently…

With her right paw still gripped hard to the extendable baton she wielded, and her pain fuelling her rage- pain inflicted on her by the very same canine on the ground in front of her… Judy let her anger get the better of her-

But unknowingly to her, as Madelyn had her back facing the Bunny, Judy hadn't seen what she was doing while lying on the ground:

Madelyn had reached down to the pocket where she had kept the Nighthowler inhaler Roan had given her, preparing to use the drug once more. Stealthily she brought the inhaler to her muzzle and placed her lips on the mouthpiece before breathing out fully and pressed the canister…

With the rush of energy and dampening agony from her injuries… Madelyn was now ready to finish this fight for good-

And finish the Bunny cop for good too.

…

Judy slowly staggered closer to the canine, baton held firm… and as soon as she was close enough, she swung it down, aiming directly for the canid's head-

Only, Judy never saw it coming… becoming wide eyed with shock when Madelyn suddenly and unexpectedly twisted over on the ground and grabbed hold of the blunt weapon with a tight grip, long before it contacted her head, and then used her other paw to throw a hard uppercut to the Rabbit's jaw…

It knocked Judy backwards instantly, also forcing her to drop the baton… stumbling all the way until she fell onto her side with another pained gasp, spitting out a spatter of blood from her mouth when she coughed, left dazed from the hard punch, and wondering how on earth the Coyote had mustered up such strength after the relentless beating Judy had given her-

But she had no time to think.

All of a sudden, Madelyn was on her again, pushing Judy square onto her back…

She quickly threw a jab to try and force the canine away… only Madelyn swiftly caught her punch, and instantly threw her own at the Bunny, striking Judy in the same side of her face as her bloody gash, making it bleed further into her fur and also smacking the back of her head off the ground-

Before Madelyn finally made her finishing move: pinning the Rabbit to the cold, wet asphalt, with her forearm across Judy's neck, slowly pressing harder and harder to crush her windpipe, and choke the Bunny to death…

* * *

As the dual duels had been battling on between the Fox and Panther, and the Rabbit and Coyote… the fifth participant of the roadway battle had still been unable to intervene.

Fang was still trapped in the overturned LAPV… although he had managed to reach down and claw off the strap to his kneepad, his right leg still remained pinned by the caved in roof despite his efforts to pull free. The only way he could was to try and push the metal up until it was loose enough to move his leg. However, he could tell as he had been mildly moving that his pinned leg was likely fractured at the very least; as well as the dull throbbing pain, there was also some obvious swelling, which was only making the task more difficult.

Yet Fang still tried to free himself, and help his two friends… completely unaware of Nick's dire plight against Roan, but practically having a front row seat for Judy's against Madelyn…

And he hated that he was idly letting the two of them fight these battles alone, while they were both severely injured, exhausted and both against mammals bigger than them. Even if they were capable of defending themselves, Fang could at least level the playing field, despite the fact he was just as injured and exhausted as they were.

While trying to free himself, he had repeatedly glanced over to the fight between Judy and Madelyn, furthering the urgency of his need to become unstuck. But now, he felt some slight relax when he was witness to Judy's exemplary takedown of the Coyote, definitely affirming his new life rule to never get on that Bunny's bad side-

But as soon as he saw the Coyote recover so suddenly, punch Judy to the floor and begin to choke her mercilessly, he assumed this time the Rabbit would definitely need help.

Letting out a strained growl, he made one last vigorous attempt to push the metal to lift from his trapped leg… and when that growl turned into a roar, Fang pulled onto all his remaining strength, pushing the metal up further than he had previously, and enough that he swiftly pulled his right leg from underneath the deformed metal… finally freeing himself…

And without a dither, regardless of the pain he was feeling all over, Fang pulled himself fully out of the wrecked vehicle into the still harsh wind and rain, growling as he dragged himself off the soaked tarmac to his feet and rushed to help Judy…

…

But he was too late-

* * *

Because as Madelyn glared at her, malignant smirk across her bleeding muzzle, watching and waiting until she saw the light fade from the Rabbit's eyes as she pressed her forearm harder across the squirming lapine's neck…

She had not realised she had failed to restrain Judy's arms.

…

Madelyn didn't see it coming-

When Judy threw all her strength- an almost unnatural super-strength: a desperate act for survival only a prey mammal possessed… Judy launched a tough balled up paw- a hardy durable jab, straight into the Coyote's exposed neck, striking directly against her airway.

…

In an instant, the tables had turned.

Judy gasped for a huge inhale of oxygen as Madelyn leaned back off the Bunny, immediately gagging from the assault to her windpipe and beginning to cough up blood from her crushed trachea, gasping for air herself- finding very little of it as it burned her neck to simply breathe…

She stumbled away from the Bunny cop, but remained crouched forward as she brought her left paw to her neck in a vain attempt to relieve her pained throat, again coughing up more blood. She could still breathe, just every time she did, her throat burned, and even then she could make only short choking puffs… the immediate deprivation of oxygen quickly make her lightheaded.

Having successfully forced the Coyote off her, Judy slowly staggered to her feet, as lightheaded she was herself, having been strangled again. She went to pick up her dropped baton, clutching it strong from the handle, and once again squared up to the canine she had been fighting these past couple of minutes, the usual expression of unwavering determination still on her face.

As Judy approached her, Madelyn stifled a growl and threw a weak punch in a last ditch effort to beat the Rabbit…

Her lunge was on target, but Judy easily swatted her arm away with the extendable nightstick… forcing another stifled growl from the canine, this one of pain… before Judy angrily struck the Coyote in the muzzle once more.

The canine still refused to go down, but Judy was certain, even if the canine still glared at her with malevolent fire in her eyes: Madelyn was finished…

But Judy wanted to make definitely sure she wouldn't be getting up again:

…

"This time… _stay_ down! …" Judy snarled-

Before she swung the baton one last time, directly to the underside of Madelyn's chin, striking against her with a harsh thud and a subsequent sickening crack as it broke her jaw, knocking the Coyote backwards down to the ground… indefinitely…

Then, Judy spat the gob of blood from her mouth that had been forming during the fight, before snidely finishing her sentence;

" _Bitch_."

…

Now, Judy was certain Madelyn wouldn't be getting up again… possibly, _never_ again.

…

However, she couldn't help but feel a tad of remorse as she looked over the defeated canine, lying motionlessly on the soaked asphalt of the bridge on her side, only half conscious, still bleeding from the multiple hits to her muzzle, and barely breathing.

Judy felt sick to her stomach from the realisation she could have done, _this_ , to another mammal, even if Madelyn had hurt and killed others…. It tipped Judy to the cusp of her own morality. But in the same instance, she also came to realise that sometimes there was no choice.

This had been a battle of life and death, one of which several times she could have very nearly lost… but regardless, Judy had prevailed…

…

She slowly glanced over to her right… where she saw Fang had barely just managed to drag himself to his feet after freeing himself from the overturned LAPV, stumbling for a footing to come to her aid. Only he had literally just looked up in time to see Judy's brutal takedown on the Coyote… now instead, giving the triumphant Bunny a respectful nod of acknowledgment when it was over, as Judy looked over to him.

She soon looked away, dropping the baton which fell to the ground with a metallic thud. Judy panted out her breaths, placing a paw to her blood soaked leg- but again like before, she managed to remain standing, despite ready to collapse as the adrenaline she felt began to dissipate, and her pain and exhaustion took hold, shivering from the watery coldness of the rain, embellished by the tenacious wind…

But it wasn't over… not yet.

…

With hardly a second passing by, Judy looked to Fang again, the two of them making a silent agreement that now they had to go and help Nick-

But they became distracted, ears perking up to the far off sound of an engine approaching, and the luminous beams of vehicle headlights appearing through the thick fog from down the bridge where they had come from before.

Help was coming…

And it filled both the Rabbit and Wolf with some relief-

Until a single word- a name, was called out through the deathly shrill of the storm;

"JUDY!-"

Judy acknowledged her name, recognising the voice that belonged to her vulpine partner, but the tone was desperate- fearful… as if about to experience or witness the worst thing imaginable.

And before she could turn her attention-

Judy was struck with a deafening ringing in her ears, and another indescribable pain.

…


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

 ** _'Zootopian Standoff – Part 3: Sacrifice'_**

* * *

After being beaten, stabbed, picked up and thrown again, and colliding against something harder this time… when Nick fell into a lump on the cold, wet tarmac at the base of where the truck's crumpled ram had rested, he too, rested.

He could not get back up… no matter how much he wanted, or knew he had to...

Nick knew he was finished.

And yet Roan refused to relent his attack on the Fox.

Nick barely glanced up, eyes half closed to see the Panther approach him, and scarcely having the strength to lift up a paw, which Nick himself had no clue of its purpose. Either as a pitiful excuse for a last attempt at a punch to defend himself, or as a feeble plea to have some respite from his physical torture.

All it did though, was to allow Roan to grab his wrist harshly, yanking Nick up from his shoulder before sending a hard punch to the Fox's muzzle…

Nick barely grunted as he had no choice but to take the hit-

And the next.

And the next.

And the next.

By now, reality felt an age away. Nick went limp, his vision tunnelled with cusps of black enveloping the edges, and what he could see became blurred and distorted, the blackened haze of unconsciousness threatening to claim him. Blood was seeping from the gashes on his left cheek and around his eye, as well as others that had been freshly opened. Streams of crimson also leaked from his nose… the metallic odour taking over his sense of smell as his nostrils filled with it, as well as his sense of taste from the trauma to his maw as more blood drew from his gums from the Panther's relentless punches-

Until eventually Roan threw his last punch, letting Nick down, and allowing the Fox to collapse on his front.

Nick weakly reached forward, stammering to push off on at least one of his arms to lean up slightly, as Roan kneeled down to the Fox's level, asking snidely;

"Had enough yet?"

Nick didn't respond immediately, taking the time to cough and spit blood from his bleeding maw through his wheezing breaths…

Funnily enough… he chuckled, making his usual one sided smirk. He had nothing to lose; Nick looked up to the unamused Panther, his hoarse voice speaking through heavy breaths;

"That… all you got… pussy?" Nick taunted.

He had no idea why. After a comment like that, he knew what would come next-

Another swift punch, as Roan pulled him up and thrust a balled up paw into an uppercut, this time directly to Nick's stomach, forcing the Fox to empty it as it caused him to vomit. Very little came out however, Nick having hurled the contents of his stomach once already today after the concussion he sustained from his grenade explosion and four storey fall- an event that felt like an eon ago… but the resultant dry heaving was still a most unpleasant experience.

Only, that was the least of his worries.

Roan abruptly thrust a paw to the Fox's neck, clamping around Nick's throat before lifting him up and slamming his back against the rough metal of the truck's broken battering ram.

Despite being held by his throat, Nick wasn't choking, at least not yet… because Roan's grip was loose, but slowly pressing harder and harder while he wore an unamused frown;

"Nick… Do you _really_ want me to kill you?" he asked cruelly.

Nick didn't say anything, not that he could because he _was_ now choking as Roan gripped tighter around his neck...

But Nick remained defiant, and proceeded to aggravate the Panther further-

By spitting out the gob of saliva and blood forming in his mouth, in such a way that it dispersed with a violent splatter directly into Roan's face, making the Panther snap away and blink his eyes.

Of course, Roan didn't take kindly to it, as he promptly responded by smacking the back of the Fox's head into the metal, before dropping him from his neck, watching Nick collapse to the ground again to fall onto his rear and then slip to his right side. Roan stepped back and wiped the Fox's spit and blood from his face, proceeding then to spit his own mix of blood and saliva over his defeated, yet, defiant foe.

Nick didn't take any notice. He hadn't moved, still lying on his side, eyes closed, and mouth open as he wheezed and coughed, silently begging in his mind for something to save him, and unprepared for more of his torturous beating.

With a throaty growl, the angered Panther didn't relent as he kicked the downed Fox in the chest, then the stomach, and finished by stamping down on Nick's open stab wound, forcing an involuntary yelp of pain from the Fox with every hit.

Roan still wasn't finished… he was either going to kill the Fox cop, or put him through so much suffering he would eventually beg for it. He reached down, moving to clasp a paw around Nick's throat again…

But then, in another act of defiance, Nick lifted his head and snapped his jaws shut on Roan's paw as soon as he was in reach.

Only it backfired… because even with the Fox's sharp predatory teeth digging into his hand paw, Roan used it against the Fox: clutching hard around Nick's jaw and using the leverage to slam his head into the cold, wet tarmac…

Nick's wounded gasp instantly made him let go of Roan's paw, retrieving his teeth now stained with the Panther's blood... but he barely had any time to settle before Roan threw one last punch to his muzzle, sending Nick's head to smack against the floor once more, furthering his disorientation even worse than it was, and almost certifying this singular spot of wet road as his resting place.

Nick barely stirred. With no strength left to rely on. No energy to move himself. Almost all of his nerve endings burned with the pain from his relentless beating, as well as the oozing warm wetness of his multiple bleedings… all of it only lightly dullened by the cooling sensation of the ever tenacious rain falling upon him. Except, each droplet that fell upon his weary form slowly escalated the brisk shivering coldness enveloping him, forcing Nick to tremble as he lay on the ground, defeated… battered, beaten, bruised and bleeding…

Nick had never known pain like this in his life, and had long thought he could go his whole life without experiencing such physical torture.

Only that wasn't the case anymore… all Nick wanted now more than anything was for it to be over. In one way… or another.

But he still clung on to life.

He refused to give in now.

Not after he promised her- promised Judy… however much he thought he would be unable to keep it, as Nick was physically strained to even move his arm an inch out in front of him.

He mercilessly fought back the tears welling in his eyes, those that did escape being washed away by the rain as he looked up across the flat debris strewn roadway of the lightly swaying bridge, observing through the rain, wind and fog, the battle between the Coyote and the Bunny: Judy… _his_ Bunny.

She was currently standing, extendable baton clutched strong in her right paw… facing the Coyote, who had her own improvised weapon picked up from the debris.

Nick felt a great deal of admiration as he watched. Even when she was seriously injured, Judy still decided to stand and fight… and even more than that: she could win… as she immediately, effortlessly, flawlessly, floored the Coyote, in a mere couple of seconds, now standing over her vanquished criminal.

As much as he begged in his mind for something to save him, Nick didn't want her to come to his aid… knowing that she would only suffer the same fate as him.

Not that it mattered…

Because the words continued to resonate in Nick's mind since Roan had said them: in less than five minutes, they would all be dead… whether or not Nick would live to see that moment. All sense of time had been lost during the fight. For all Nick knew, the bomb could detonate right this second or the next… and even if by some miracle they survived the blast, it would certainly destroy the bridge, and he, Judy, Roan, Madelyn and Fang too, would perish along with it. And it further disheartened Nick at the fact, his chance to tell Judy how he truly felt about her was ever so slowly- and literally, ticking away.

And what it made him more than anything else… was angry.

…

"I admire your courage Nick… I really do…" Roan spoke, standing over the Fox and interrupting Nick's thoughts whilst he examined his bloody paw before ripping off part of his torn clothing, and began to bandage it up, "… But I know you wouldn't be going through this if you didn't have a good reason- I mean, what are you really doing this for, huh? We might have been barely acquaintances for a time, but I know your kind…" at that point, Nick had strained his head to look up at him, glaring at the Panther as Roan continued to speak, "… you're not the kind of mammal that _fights_ for your _own_ gains." Now Roan kneeled down to him; "So tell me really: … What are you fighting for?"

Nick didn't answer as Roan met his gaze, returning the mean glare as Nick sustained his own with a frown across his muzzle…

Though it was evidently clear, as forked flashes of white light and strident claps of thunder boomed overhead, Roan was genuinely looking for an answer.

But Nick didn't need to speak in order to give it. Roan could tell, from the still clear defiant expression on the Fox's muzzle even in the face of death, and the obvious truth displayed in his eyes as Nick glared back at him…

One could learn a lot about an individual from just their eyes, and Roan could see that his assumption for Nick's reason to fight was partly correct. For what he saw inside the Fox's emerald iris was a vague similarity between the two of them… because for most of Roan's life he had been doing the exact same thing. What he saw was the soul of a mammal fighting for something they loved. Something they cared about more than anything in existence. Not for something of monetary worth. Not for some kind of overzealous ideology. Something-

No.

 _Someone…_ that was _worth_ fighting for…

And so, Roan opened his mouth to question;

"Or should I ask… _Who_ are you fighting for, Nick?"

Nick dared not to look…

But his reflexes betrayed him as he glanced down the roadway, observing the tussle between the Rabbit and Coyote, silently panicking- unable to help her, as he saw Madelyn attack Judy again from the ground, knocking her to the floor, punching her and overpowering her before pressing a forearm across Judy's neck…

And Roan had easily traced Nick's eye line:

"The Bunny?" Roan huffed rudely "… Now, that is… _disgusting_." He hissed snidely, "Rabbits are the worst: pathetic, _weak_ mammals that can't even look after themselves…"

Nick burned with rage at those words… knowing for a fact that the Panther was talking nonsense.

"Mark my words Nick," Roan continued, "One day she'll be the death of you… and what a coincidence, today is that day."

Roan grabbed harshly to the scruff of the Fox's neck, and once again pulled out his karambit, flicking out the blood stained blade before lightly pressing it against Nick's throat, gently scraping the sharp tip through the fur and against the skin till he found the right spot, as he prepared to stab Nick in the very same place several others already that day had tried to kill him… by severing his carotid artery.

Nick didn't bother fighting back, not that he could. Even when the Panther started to press the sharp knife harder against his neck, he refused to take his eyes from looking down the road… observing Judy's choking, powerless to help her.

Roan paused as he glanced back down the road himself, before quickly turning back to the defeated Fox, continuing to speak maliciously;

"At least by the looks of it, you'll both be together quite soon…"

All of a sudden, Nick huffed what was unmistakably a stifled laugh, causing Roan to pause in amused confusion at the distinctive sideways smile that had unexpectedly appeared across the Fox's bloody muzzle…

Nick finally spoke back, slowly turning his attention to the Panther, speaking derisively through stammered breaths;

"You don't know, _that_ Bunny… do you?"

Perplexed and intrigued, Roan turned his head back down the road-

And the callous smile was swiftly swept from his face. His eyes widened and jaw dropped as he watched in horror… the sight of his wife being beaten back by the Bunny cop, paw up to her neck, now coughing up and gagging on her own blood…

"Seems… she's still more than a match… for your queen bitch." Nick sneered.

Roan quickly stood up from kneeling down to the Fox on the floor… quietly growling- overcome with rage as he witnessed the Rabbit cop swiftly strike down his wife with the baton, until he saw the Coyote: Madelyn- _his_ Coyote, stumble backwards, defeated, and fell onto the cold, wet tarmac where she remained.

And now… Roan only glared at the Rabbit, with nothing but pure fury and hatred as the lapine stood with her back towards him, triumphantly over his defeated mate.

…

Roan snapped his head back to look at the Fox, Nick easily hiding his pain through a mean gloating expression…

But that quickly dissipated with what Roan said next;

"If you care about her, _so much_ …" the Panther retorted with a silent snarl, "… then you can watch her _die_ …"

…

The next few moments were probably no more than a few seconds…

To Nick… it felt never-ending.

Time to him almost slowed to a crawl as he observed Roan stroll forwards for a better view through the rainfall, and reach down to his left hip holster, pulling out the .50 calibre Desert Eagle that Nick hadn't even noticed the Panther still possessed…

It took less than a nanosecond for Nick to comprehend what was about to happen; his heart rate quickened, breath panicked, eyes widened in dread, as he watched the Panther raise the high calibre pistol up, left arm straight, aiming down the bridge from where they came… towards where the fight between the Rabbit and Coyote had been.

…

He couldn't save himself, Nick knew that… but at least he could save Judy, even if it was the last thing he ever did. He wasn't going to lie here bleeding out, exhausted and helpless, just to watch her die…

Nick called upon a strength he never knew he had… whether it was something he truly possessed, or some residual effect of taking the Nighthowler inhaler. The feeling felt primal, as if unlocked from the depth of his conscious: a last resort ounce of energy to protect what was most important to him, at any and all cost.

…

Roan aimed down the iron sights of his pistol, fixed directly on the back of the Rabbit's head. Not even a flash of lighting and following crack of thunder made him flinch as he lined up his shot, keeping his grip solid on the handgun as he gently began to apply pressure to the trigger…

Nick dragged himself from the ground, his willpower keeping him stable as he charged at the Panther.

He yelled out to warn her- make her move- duck, anything;

"JUDY!-"

And in the half-second left before the trigger was pulled, Nick reached the Panther and grabbed onto Roan's arm which held the weapon, and pushed it up-

…

A blinding flash.

A deafening crack.

Not from thunder and lightning this time…

…

Everything fell silent as a ringing erupted in Nick's ears, keeping his grip firm on the Panther's arm as he fearfully turned his head to look along the bridge…

* * *

Judy's ears had lifted to the frightful call of her name-

As a singular deafening crack emanated through the storm behind her…

All she heard then was a monotonous ring, immediately letting her ears drop down- her left specifically, when an indescribable pain shot through her nerves. Judy instantly recognised from the pain that she had been shot again, as something tore mercilessly through the cartilage, clipping the edge of her left ear.

She made only a gasp as she fell down to her knees from the shock, pain and force of the bullet, lifting both her hand paws to clutch her gutted ear as she pulled it in front of her… already gushing with her blood…

But the injury was marginal… at least compared to what it could have been, even if the bullet blasted notch in her ear would permanently maim her. Judy was confused; the Panther's shots had been mostly on target throughout the roadway battle… what had caused him to only just miss?

Still clutching her pained ear, still not being able to hear anything with the ringing in her hearing… Judy turned herself to glance behind her, witnessing the scuffle between the Fox and the Panther, and the smoking gun that had just been fired-

It all made sense:

Nick had saved her life.

* * *

Their eyes locked for a singular moment… a singular moment to them that felt like an eternity as the Fox and Rabbit gazed at one another; Judy's eyes full of admiration, Nick's full of comfort, and both of them filled with what could only be described, as love. Despite their physical state- their pain, and exhaustion, the dangers surrounding them, and the likelihood of their impending doom, the two of them could have lived in that moment forever… just, gazing, eye to eye, no words needed-

But it wasn't to last.

…

Nick's gaze was suddenly broken away from her, as Roan swiftly reacted for making him miss his shot, and miss his revenge:

With his further infuriated rage, Roan abruptly yanked his left arm higher, forcing Nick's grip on his limb to slip and simultaneously pull the Fox off balance.

As he staggered forwards, Nick tried to remain solid on his feet, but he knew he would inevitably collapse from his fatigue… which was made certain when the Panther lifted his right knee to strike him in his side- the same side as his still bleeding stab wound.

Nick cringed hard from the hit, the force of it making him twist himself to face the Panther as he began to slip and fall…

And as he did, Nick looked up at Roan, clearly seeing his mad eyes, flared nostrils and bared teeth in a furious but silent snarl; the unsurmountable rage evident in the feline's expression-

As too, was it revealed by his actions:

When Roan aimed the barrel of his high calibre handgun directly at Nick's chest-

* * *

Three blinding flashes- gunshots… that made no noise to her.

There was nothing she could do… Judy viewed them slow enough in her mind she could count them-

One.

Two.

Three.

She silently begged that this was a nightmare, that it wasn't true- it wasn't real…

Judy watched in horror, unable to look away, her heart cringing from the shock and pain when the Panther thrice fired the gun at point-blank… and she witnessed the Fox: Nick… _her_ Fox, become limp and lifeless, as he fell motionlessly to the ground, coming to rest indefinitely, sprawled gracelessly on his back.

…

Fang too was still witnessed to the shocking scene; left disheartened, shaken and angered as he saw the Panther strike down the Fox that had saved his life more than once today- a true friend and brother in arms, one of whom he promised he would have his back… and had failed.

…

Judy was frozen to the spot- petrified.

She hadn't taken her eyes off the fallen Fox, hoping Nick's vest had been enough to protect him…

But there was no movement from him… no shudder from any of his limbs or his tail, no gentle rise or fall of his chest that she could see.

Judy feared the worst, barely managing to process the endless series of feelings she felt at that moment… and left transfixed on Nick's lifeless form, as if frozen in time. She wanted nothing more than to go and be by his side.

Except, there was still the threat of the Panther with the gun, standing over the fallen Fox...

Judy quickly changed her attention, glaring at Roan, feeling nothing but pure anger and hatred… yet she didn't show them, and somehow showing no fear in the face of the large calibre pistol that was now pointed towards her again…

* * *

But Roan was instantly stopped in his tracks-

A splatter of blood suddenly erupted from the right side of his chest, forcing out a pained roar from his mouth, and making him drop his gun and faithful knife as a single bullet tore through his body.

Having had his left arm raised and left leg stepped forward, the impact of the larger calibre round sent him falling forwards when his weight shifted, making his legs buckle and only just bringing his arms up in time to break his fall onto the cold, wet tarmac.

Roan panted out his breaths… eyes wide in shock, looking down at the ground whilst he fought back the pain from his sudden shooting. He was crouched down on his knees, leaning forward with his right paw keeping him from falling, and his left now lifted up to clutch the wound.

His paw was quickly left soggy with blood, merging with his already drenched fur, clothes and tactical gear. His face turned into a snarl; Roan silently cursed at himself for taking the risk to not put on a ballistic vest as the white hot pain burned through his torso…

Though he quickly deduced, despite where he had been shot and the agony he felt, that the wound wasn't life threatening. The bullet had gouged through the right side of his chest… but in his aiming stance, it had barely entered his body, bypassed his ribcage, and only narrowly missed his lung, tearing through only muscle and tissue.

Yet that didn't make it hurt any less…

But to Roan, right now, that overwhelming pain only served to further infuriate him:

He glanced up with a stern scowl, looking for the culprit who had shot him…

* * *

Both Judy and Fang did too, looking over to where the shot had come from, where both their eyes landed on the unmistakable and imposing form of their commanding officer.

Bogo stood firmly against the raging storm and swaying bridge, his right arm outstretched with his .500 Magnum clutched strong in his hoof, gaze affixed on the stricken Panther.

…

"Chief?" Judy uttered in disbelief.

Bogo glanced to her;

"Go…" he said without a dither, holstering his firearm, "I'll handle _him_."

…


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

 ** _'Zootopian Standoff – Part 4: Last Mammal Standing'_**

* * *

Roan retained his stern scowl, taking no notice of the Rabbit and Wolf… looking only at the imposing Cape Buffalo.

He glanced down at his gun, left on the soaked ground where he had dropped it… huffing in annoyance at the retracted slide that indicated the empty magazine, having furiously fired his last three rounds at the Fox cop.

So instead, Roan only gripped his knife as he pulled himself back to his feet, taking a few wobbly steps forward as he prepared for his final fight…

* * *

Judy still hadn't moved from her spot on the gently swaying bridge, still left in shock from the previous events as Bogo stepped past her, fearlessly forward to face the Panther…

Though she was suddenly brought out of her stressful daze when Fang came up behind her;

"Come on…" he uttered as he helped her up, and aided her to walk…

Which soon turned into a jog, as both Judy and Fang headed towards where Nick had been left unmoved and exposed on the debris strewn bridge.

* * *

Roan gave them both a callous smirk as the injured Wolf and Bunny rounded past him, but he swiftly turned his attention away when they left his view, now glaring at his new adversary of the Buffalo before him, stopping with a brief distance between them;

"So Chief… how many?" Roan taunted as he reached into a pocket on his gear, pulling out his Nighthowler inhaler, "… How many senseless deaths?"

"Too many," Bogo replied, emotionlessly, "But it ends _now_."

"Come now Bogo," Roan continued to mock, as he brought the inhaler to his muzzle, the mouthpiece fully to his lips as he pressed the canister and took in the cerulean gas, speaking as he breathed out; "There's still time for a few more…" he mocked, pausing as he put the inhaler away, "… and I'm not just talking about Nicholas back there!"

"No… there's only going to be one more death today…" Bogo scorned, "… and it's going to be _yours_."

Roan huffed snidely; "Bring it then…" he growled, spinning his karambit in his right paw before gripping the handle firmly, "… you old _cow_!"

…

* * *

The distance was hardly longer than a few seconds dash… but to Judy, those few seconds were the longest of her life, with the bridge seemingly becoming longer and longer, only making her more terrified at what she might find when she reached him. Fang continued to aid her, stumbling himself as they both made their staggered and hurried jog to where Nick lay.

When they did reach him, Judy and Fang both dropped down to their knees to look him over… coming to some relief that Nick _was_ still alive…

 _Just._

As well as the previous injuries he was suffering through that were clearly noticeable by the amount blood that covered him… By some miracle, the bullets from the Panther's handgun had been stopped by Nick's bullet-proof vest. Only now, there were three large dents, one from each impact spread across the ballistic plate that protected his chest, which without a doubt will have at least fractured or broken his sternum and ribcage, plus the obvious severe trauma it will have caused to his heart and lungs:

He was having trouble breathing.

Consciousness waning.

Every one of his sharp intakes of breath caused him searing agony in his torso; the dents in the ballistic plate were caved inwards, compressing his chest. Nick was only drawing in short and erratic inhales for any scrap of air, as it was all he could hope for right now. His eyes were half closed, not particularly looking at anything but the thick clouded sky above him. He hadn't even noticed his company.

…

"Nick…" Judy gasped, "Oh my… g-"

She was speechless… Seeing Nick in this state was making her panic. She had first aid training- the basics at least… but this is something Judy could never prepare herself for, driving her mind into a blank. After a few seconds of looking over her battered Fox, Judy noticed most of all Nick's irregular breathing; she asked openly;

"Why is he breathing like that?"

"I don't know Judy," Fang snapped, unintentionally, "… I'm not the medic, Leonard is…"

That moment it became clear to Judy that Fang too was almost as panicky as she was-

"Get his vest off!" he ordered suddenly, breaking Judy out of her shocked trance.

She immediately reached for and ripped away the Velcro straps that held Nick's ballistic vest over his uniform. A sharp tug was enough to break the strap away from his shoulder, but the one around his side needed a much stronger pull…

After, Fang lifted the front plate away-

Nick instantly breathed in heavier as the dented ballistic plate was moved from his chest, letting out a rasped groan as the sharp pain stabbed him again. He also became somewhat more conscious at that moment, leaning his head over to look at the Rabbit beside him, then next to the Wolf, with a look of confusion spreading across his face.

Fang took no notice, moving to gently lift Nick's back, pulling away the back plate of his vest, meanwhile, Judy took his paw in hers, and applying pressure to the stab wound in his side with her other;

"Nick, look at me…" she said sincerely, reacquiring Nick's attention as his eyes shifted to her again, "You're gonna be fine, ok… just... just, don't mo-"

"N- no!…" Nick stammered out through his uneven breaths, voice rough and cringing hard from the pain in his chest, and breaking his paw from Judy's grasp, "… Carr- uurggh!"

"Nick, stop!-" Judy pleaded, holding onto him before he hurt himself more than he already was.

"Judy…" Nick interrupted her, "Ge- get out of here! Argh!"

"Not a chance Nick," Fang inputted, only saying what Judy too would have said.

Nick gently shook his head on the ground, closing his eyes in slight irritation. Nothing he could say would make either of them leave his side. Only he knew that whatever Judy or Fang did to help him now would be in vain… they both had no idea their time was numbered;

"The bomb-" Nick blurted out.

"What about it?" Fang asked quickly.

"The bomb is- … is armed," Nick explained, pausing for a moment to catch his pained breath, "stop it- … or, we all die-"

"Where?"

"Trailer…"

Fang instantly turned and looked down the bridge, seeing the trailer of the semi-truck leaning on its side from where it had rested after the crash. After a second of contemplation, knowing reluctantly that helping Nick now was a waste of time, and stopping the explosion was priority above all else, Fang looked back at the stricken Fox, sternly ordering his friend;

"Don't you die on us now buddy!"

Nick actually managed to break a smile on his muzzle, as well as a short nod at Fang's comment as the Wolf stood up and charged across the soaked asphalt towards the overturned trailer.

But Judy remained by Nick's side, unmoved; Nick turned to look at her again, trying to suppress his sharp breaths, saying;

"Go- … help hi- him-"

"No Nick," Judy interrupted, "I'm not leaving you-"

"S'more importan-… than me-"

"Nick, no! I-"

Judy was cut mid-sentence when Nick clasped his paw gently to hers;

"Carrots…" he soothed, voice hoarse, and looking at her sincerely- deeply into her affectionate, yet watery, worried eyes… enough so that it made Nick feel terribly guilty as he lied straight to her face; "… I'll be fine…"

Judy shook her head, tears escaping as she blinked hard. She wasn't going to leave him… she couldn't;

"Nick, I-"

"Go, Judy."

She delved through her brain to think of anything to just stay by his side. But Nick was right. The best thing she could do to help him, herself, and the entire city right now, was to assist Fang in disarming the Nighthowler bomb. Nick knew this, and Judy knew he hadn't said it lightly. So as reluctant as she was, this time Judy listened.

"Just…" She raked her mind for words to say, "… Stay alive…"

"Tha-s… up to you two now…" Nick winced as he stifled a chuckle, "… No pressure,"

Judy too, huffed in amusement behind her troubled tears, taking some comfort in the moment that even through all his suffering, Nick still tried to be his usual jesting self.

"Stay here…" she said, standing up, "and don't move,"

"N-" Nick cringed, stifling another short laugh, "Not like I'm going anywhere Carrots!"

…

Nick leaned his head over to his right when she left, looking sideways across the bridge to observe Judy's dash down the bridge towards the overturned shipping container. As he did so, watching that beautiful Bunny (however battered and injured she was herself) - the most important mammal in the world to him, leave him alone in the middle of the soaked road… Nick felt nothing but a wash of regret rush through him…

He was fully aware that was possibly the last chance he had tell her. It burned in his mind, how much he was dying to say those three little words: to tell her how he truly felt. But now was probably the worst time out of all the times he could have to say it. In more ways than one.

It didn't matter anyway, if Judy and Fang couldn't stop the explosion, it would be too late. But Nick had faith in them. He had faith they could save themselves and the city…

Whether or not he himself would live to see that moment.

Nick shuddered as the coldness enveloped him. He felt faint. Blood loss was taking over. His erratic breathing continued, still puffing out unevenly, and any attempt to take any deeper inhale was hindered by the swelling pain in his chest, adding to the agonizing throb he felt all over… and Nick could feel, deep down, that these few irregular breaths would likely be his last…

But that was something he had earlier prepared for:

With a shaky paw, Nick slowly reached to a single zip pocket on his gear. He then reached inside, pulling out the tapering orange piece of plastic that was Judy's carrot pen. He held it firmly in his left paw, sheltering it from the rain, and keeping it close to his chest.

It gave him comfort, knowing the device was undamaged- somehow, during all of the mess he'd been in today… because through his unbearable and airless breaths, Nick was now certain that the message he recorded earlier would undoubtedly be needed…

* * *

Out of the fallen Fox's view and earshot from his fading senses… the duel between the Panther and Buffalo had begun.

Although it seemed somewhat unfair that Roan brandished a lethal weapon in the form of his karambit knife, Bogo did stand almost twice the size of the Panther, and Roan knew he was in for a tough fight…

But that didn't stop him from making the first move:

With a savage snarl, the Black Panther charged forward, his steps heavy but powerful, splashing up water from the soaked asphalt of the bridge, and brandishing the blood covered blade of his faithful knife in a reverse grip in his right paw, facing the Buffalo head on.

Bogo stood his ground, solid in his imposing stance, ready to fight; this Panther had cost him enough today, and he was going to make sure he'd pay the price…

When the gap between them thinned to barely a metre, Bogo threw a strong right arm forward into a swift hoofed punch, one that would easily knock most mammals to the ground in one swift stroke-

But this Panther wasn't like most mammals.

Roan quickly dodged the Buffalo's lunge at him, inching to his right, and rapidly swinging his own right arm, preparing to stab his knife blade into Bogo's chest, directly to his heart-

Only, Bogo was not unfamiliar to brazen ploys when it came to fighting dangerous criminals. He saw Roan's move coming a mile off… After all, unlike others before him, Bogo didn't get to be Chief of Police by sitting behind a desk all his career…

The blade of the Panther's knife was still a whole foot away from its target before Bogo stopped it:

He seized Roan's arm mid swing, clutching with the pressure of a hydraulic vice with his left hoof that Roan could have sworn he heard his bone crack underneath Bogo's grip.

It stopped Roan completely in his tracks when his attack was abruptly halted. He looked up at the Buffalo in angry surprise before the expression was swiftly smashed from his muzzle when Bogo leaned down and rapidly thrust his stone hard skull and horns forwards to headbutt the Panther.

Roan staggered backward with a furious grunt, but with a flick of his tail, he managed not to trip over himself. He stopped a moment to lift his left paw to wipe the blood streaming from his nostrils… Bogo's headbutt having been so strong it easily broke the Panther's nose. Roan snarled silently at the sight of his blood and the pain in his muzzle, looking back at his adversary-

Bogo had advanced on him, stepping forward with a powerful foot hoof to throw another strong punch at the Panther…

Roan swiftly ducked, dropping to one knee and swinging his karambit above him as he did, catching the Buffalo's arm with the blade and drawing his blood. Roan did not relent either, instantly swinging the blade again, swiping backwards to cut across Bogo's stomach... but only marginally.

Bogo just took both slashes as a mild hindrance, same as he did the Panther's earlier gunshot on him… and Bogo was instant to respond to Roan's attack by throwing his other arm into another punch-

Roan failed to dodge this time when Bogo's right hoof collided with the underside of his jaw, knocking him cleanly backwards once more…

Except this time, he used the momentum he was given to roll rearward and twist on the ground, swiping his karambit across the soaked asphalt as he did, using it as a whetstone to sharpen the steel blade… until he came to a stop, crouched down on all fours with the exception of his right paw which held his sharp weapon.

Roan stopped a moment in his crouched position as he glared at the imposing Buffalo, stifling an annoyed growl from the pain in his muzzle and jaw… and it didn't help either that Bogo was showing no instance of pain or discomfort from his own bleedings…

The Buffalo almost smirked as he wiped the blood seeping from the cut through his uniform, and spoke scornfully;

"You're going to have to do better than that…"

…

So Roan intended to:

He stood up, reaching for the pocket on his tactical gear, and pulling out his Nighthowler inhaler once more before using it again… taking in all the cerulean gas to quell the distraction from his injuries and focus all his rage and energy to defeat the bovine stood before him.

Bogo watched carefully, and quickly deduced, due to his adversary's eager use of it, and the obvious blue colour, that the liquid contained within the inhaler in the Panther's paw was some variant of Nighthowler serum that his Officer's had made him aware of earlier… although he was curious to what end the Panther was using it for.

Very quickly, Roan brought the inhaler away from his muzzle, tucked it back into his pocket and twirled his knife in his right paw again, planning in his head, and preparing for his next attack…

* * *

Just like the last short sprint through the rain and wind along the bridge, this one was also no more than a few seconds dash… and this time it remained only a few seconds dash.

Time was of the essence… and that essence was fading fast.

Judy darted fast as she could across the water soaked bridge towards the overturned trailer of the semi-truck, negating the handicap of her mauled right leg and other injuries that slowed her down, including reverting to all fours when she stumbled, and continued onwards without losing her pace…

Except it was burning in the back of her head that she was leaving Nick behind… even if he himself had insisted upon it, and it struck Judy how it was the complete opposite to the start of the day when she had been injured in the alleyway and insisted he go on without her. She now fully understood Nick's reaction when they talked inside the ambulance-

She wanted nothing more than to turn back and be with him.

But Judy didn't look back… knowing that if she did, that's exactly what she would do.

…

She soldiered onwards, and in a few seconds she had already reached the overturned shipping container.

The metal of the fallen trailer door was just as wet, but colder to the touch than the tarmac of the bridge underneath her feet. The falling rain made a loud metallic pitter-patter with every watery droplet that impacted the dented steel, accompanied by the wind howling against it.

Judy turned to look inside, her eyesight hindered marginally by the interior darkness. She could see Fang. It still hadn't been long since he had climbed in himself, only long enough to assess the situation…

And Judy could tell from the Wolf's flattened ears and tucked tail, the situation looked bleak-

That was the moment she saw the rest of the contents of the container… because it was quite hard to miss the amounted jumble of explosives, gas tanks, wires and detonators. Judy physically recoiled at the sight, her ears drooping behind her head as she anxiously let out;

"Oh, raspberries…"

"Yea…" Fang acknowledged dismally, briefly glancing at her, "We're in deep sh*t… This amount of C4 alone is enough to blow the whole bridge up…"

After a nervous pause, Judy asked;

"How much time do we have?"

Fang glanced at the timer

* * *

 _2:51_

 _…_

 _2:50_

 _…_

 _2:49_

 _…_

* * *

"Less than three minutes…"

"Ok…" Judy mumbled, perturbed but determined. She quickly climbed inside, suppressing a wounded grunt from the pain in her leg as she stepped, and continued, "… So what do we do?"

"We die."

"What!?"

"Judy… I leaned to disarm tiny little pipe bombs and IED's!" Fang exclaimed fretfully, "Which, by the way, I never managed to do successfully once in a _practice_ situation! This is totally different!" He paused a moment as he gestured to the four large high explosive bombs, "This is military grade stuff- and I'm sorry… but, disarming this many explosives in this amount of time…. It's just not possible!"

"Fang, we can't just do nothing!" Judy argued, "Anything is better than nothing, and we're already losing time!"

She took a second to look around at the mess of explosives and gas canisters, as Fang did the same. Judy's sight instantly fixed on the wires leading to the clumps of C4 on the gas tanks;

"What if we just yank out the detonators?" she suggested.

"No…" Fang answered, "… for all we know messing with any of the wires could set the whole thing off,"

"Then what if we don't touch them?" Judy paused as the Wolf looked at her intently, "What if we break the moulds off the canisters, remove them carefully-"

"Stop the gas being released…" Fang interrupted.

"Will it work?"

"Maybe, if we throw the canisters outside, away from the explosives… but it'll _still_ explode…" Fang said forlornly, "It'll might just save the city and everyone else- but… it won't save us,"

Judy let out a dismal heavy breath at that fact, but it didn't cause her to falter… she was far too stubborn for that;

"Above and beyond the call John…" she said emotionlessly, "We'll worry about us after…"

Fang huffed, with the same dismal heavy breath; "If we don't get a fu*kin Medal of Valour for this- Let's do it."

Judy nodded…

And they both went into action, each reaching for the canister closest to them and quickly but cautiously clawing away the plastic explosive moulded around the pressure valves, carefully avoiding to touch the detonators…

It didn't take long, and soon they had removed a canister each. Judy instantly reached for another, while Fang took the two they had disconnected to toss them (carefully) outside, away from the still armed explosives.

"Two down…" The Wolf uttered, as he climbed back inside.

"Make that three," Judy added, pushing another detached gas canister over to the entrance of the container for Fang to dispose of.

"And about, what? Fifty more to go?"

…

* * *

After his second hit from the Nighthowler inhaler, Roan regained the energy he needed. Except, the effects were waning much quicker now, considering the amount of pain he was fighting back- mostly from his fairly serious gunshot wound. He took a second to examine his opponent…

The Cape Buffalo stood firmly, both arms held in a boxing stance ready for the Panther's next attempt to take him down.

Roan took note from his stance, that much, if not all of Bogo's strength was in his upper body. Roan wanted to finish this quickly, and in order to beat him, he knew exactly how to act next: he had to bring Bogo to his level…

And so he charged at the Buffalo again.

Bogo stood his ground, noticing that Roan was advancing on him in the same fashion as before, expecting him to have another dash at the same brazen tactic. Bogo readied to throw a punch that he was sure the Panther would dodge, and so prepared to throw a quick second to hit him directly-

But Bogo had misjudged his opponent's advance…

As Roan sprinted forwards, he dodged Bogo's first strike by slipping on purpose, also dodging the Buffalo's second flurried punch as it sailed over his head, allowing him to continue his manoeuvre; sliding across the water soaked roadway, past Bogo's right leg and slashing his knife against the bovine's thigh-

This time Bogo did show that he felt the pain… the Panther's blade had cut much deeper, exuding a splatter of liquid crimson and forcing him to let out a pained grunt as his leg buckled from the sudden incision.

Bogo dropped to his right knee, but remained solid-

Until Roan quickly rolled on the ground behind him, and attacked his other leg: stabbing his knife directly into his left calf, before dragging it back out.

With another loud grunt, Bogo dropped completely to his knees.

Roan took his chance, and swiftly climbed onto the bovine's back, reaching round to the front of Bogo's neck with his karambit, and prepared to slash his throat;

"Good enough for you?" Roan taunted into the bovine's ear-

Except in that time, Bogo had reached up to clasp onto Roan's arm, then leaned forward… swiftly dragging the Panther over his shoulders with a thunderous roar as Bogo threw the feline in front and away from him.

Roan flew a good few metres when Bogo sent him flying, almost completely somersaulting in mid-air before landing hard on the side of his chest with his still bleeding gunshot wound, and given enough momentum to roll onto his front…

He managed to keep hold of his karambit in his right paw, thanks to the handle's design of the single finger hold to help with gripping the weapon. But holding onto his knife was what irked him the least right now… Roan paused a moment to grimace from the impact on the solid asphalt-

Until he felt the angered Buffalo's vice like grip clutch onto his long black tail…

It shook him completely from his brief respite: Roan turned over on the ground and swung his knife, forcing Bogo to back off when the cusp of the blade cut across his right cheek.

Roan instantly lifted his left leg, repeatedly kicking Bogo in the face, until he finished it with one swift and brutal double kick directly to the bovine's nose.

Bogo held back as small amounts of blood began to seep from his nostrils, as well as the slash to his face… only allowing Roan the chance to jump back up to his feet.

With a savage growl, Roan lifted his right leg, kicking Bogo directly in the chest… only it felt like he was kicking a brick wall…

Bogo barely registered it- or at least, not until Roan attacked with his knife once more.

The Buffalo grunted again as Roan slashed the blade across his chest, before attempting to finish him by stabbing directly to his throat-

Only Bogo stopped him prematurely, clasping onto Roan's right arm- like before, with a vice-like grip, the tip of the blade being barely in inch from his neck.

They glared at the other, directly into their hate filled eyes as they became locked in a power struggle- or was at least, a struggle for Roan. He persevered, and fought against Bogo's overpowering strength, even using his other arm to help push forward, trying desperately to force the blade of his karambit just that little bit further to inevitably defeat his larger adversary…

But it was futile effort… the only thing that was inevitable was that Roan's grip on his faithful knife was failing, as Bogo (somehow) began to grasp harder, applying more and more pressure onto Roan's arm.

Bogo actually smirked; he could see Roan's anguish from the expression forming on his muzzle. The Panther began to growl in dissent… until it turned to pain, as he finally lost his grip on the knife handle, and it flopped down, dangling from the single finger hold…

Only for a second.

Bogo went to grab the blade… but seeing the Buffalo's move coming, Roan grabbed it himself, allowing his left arm to abandon helping his right, swiftly exchanging his karmabit from his right paw to his left, and rapidly thrust the knife forwards-

Stabbing Bogo in the shoulder: the same place Roan had earlier shot him, and yanking the blade up to gouge through the Buffalo's flesh.

Bogo roared in pain as the knife caught his own large gunshot wound… but it only proceeded to further infuriate him…

He abruptly grabbed hold of Roan's left arm with his right hoof… his vice-like grip again making the Panther let go of the knife still embedded in his shoulder; Bogo now had Roan restrained by both his wrists.

Roan attempted to lift a leg to kick himself free-

But Bogo beat him to it… not with his leg, but with his stone hard skull. Simultaneously, Bogo thrust his head forward, striking Roan in the muzzle with his boss, and letting go of the Panther's wrists.

Roan staggered backwards from the hit… but with a flick of his tail behind him to counterbalance, he managed not to fall. He recovered quickly, and looked ahead, just in time to see Bogo climb back to his feet…

Bogo didn't show for second the anguish from the slash and stab to his legs, or the knife still embedded in his shoulder as he stood up firmly, immediately moving forward to engage the Panther.

Roan stood his ground, analysing his opponent's coming assault… but he wasn't prepared for what Bogo threw at him next…

Roan dodged to the right as Bogo threw a resilient jab at him- only to take an instant left hook to the muzzle.

That was enough to quell any attempts to stop his onslaught…

So Bogo continued:

With a right uppercut to the underside of the Panther's jaw.

A left hook to his side.

A right jab to his chest.

A left uppercut to his gut.

A right hook to his head.

And finishing with another left uppercut, also directly to the underside of the Panther's jaw.

…

Roan dropped backwards to the ground, landing on his back in a heap on the floor, before he slowly leaned over to rest on his left side. He lay there, wide eyed and panting for air, with blood dripping from his mouth and nose…

But he still refused to give in…

He looked up at Bogo and snarled, still filled with overwhelming anger.

An anger of which increased tenfold with what Bogo did next…

Roan watched resentfully as Bogo reached for the knife still embedded in his shoulder. The Buffalo lightly grimaced as he grasped the handle and slowly pulled the blade from his body, dragging some liquid crimson along with it. Bogo breathed heavily out from his nose once it was removed, stifling a pained grunt.

He looked curiously at the karambit in his hoof. The model was much too small for him… it was no wonder the wounds he'd so far sustained had been not at all life threatening; it would take a knife more than twice the size to do Bogo any real damage. That still didn't mean getting slashed and stabbed with a small knife didn't hurt… and right now Bogo was fuming. As he looked at the blade, he remembered earlier in their conversation at the start of the day over the radio, Roan had told him the significance of this knife... it being the one trinket of which he cherished, given to him by his wife: the lifeless Coyote on the road behind the two duelling mammals…

Bogo dropped the blade to the floor, where it made a short clang on the cold, wet asphalt before it remained in place-

And Roan reached vainly forward as he witnessed Bogo raise his right foot hoof, yelling in protest a distressed;

"NO!-"

The swift sound of snapping metal filled the air around the two of them when Bogo's hoof slammed onto the tarmac. A second later he removed it…

And Roan saw what was left of his wife's first ever gift to him. It was now completely useless; the handle was bent, and the blade was broken in two places, completely sheared from the handle, and the tip of it sectioned further still.

…

Despite the rage he was feeling, Roan retained his composure…

But only for one final act:

He shuffled himself on the ground so he was leaning on his knees, facing Bogo… and for one last time, he reached into his gear, quickly taking out his Nighthowler inhaler, and brought the mouthpiece to his split and bleeding lips. He pressed the canister, taking in all the cerulean gas-

But once wasn't enough…

Roan only allowed one slow exhale as he kept the mouthpiece up to his maw… and before long, he pressed the canister again, once more taking in all the cerulean gas.

But even twice wasn't enough for him…

Roan took the risk, having not got anything left to lose, and used the inhaler a final third time before throwing it away.

…

Roan leaned down, now on all fours… having gone as close to being a savage as a mammal could be without losing their mind. His pupils had almost entirely turned to slits, his hackles raised, teeth bared and claws out… now digging them into the wet road to sharpen them…

Even without his knife, Roan was not unarmed. He was a predator after all… and of all of them, he certainly wasn't one to refrain from using the weapons nature had given him.

…

A moment later the Panther charged at the Buffalo once more, but this time, Roan remained on all fours, giving him more traction, more speed and more force when he made his leap at Bogo to maul him-

Though Bogo was ready to counter it: he practically caught the flying feline in mid-air, before twisting and throwing Roan around his right side away from him… except the force of the Panther's assault had knocked him off balance, causing Bogo to stumble from his previously slashed right leg and prop himself up on his arm.

Despite being sent flying by the Buffalo, Roan's righting reflex was on point… as were all his senses. He landed cleanly on all fours, digging his claws into the tarmac to bring him to a swift stop… and then proceeded to waste no time, using that extra traction to attack Bogo while he was down…

The Panther moved with lighting fast speed; in no more than a second from throwing him away, Bogo had to defend against his adversary again, only having the time to shift his weight and block Roan's assault to his neck with his left forearm.

Roan clamped his powerful jaws onto Bogo's arm, causing the Buffalo to grunt from the sudden incision of the Panther's razor sharp fangs, and barely having any chance at all to stop it before Roan also began to maul Bogo's arm with his claws, digging vigorously through his fur into his flesh, forcing Bogo to growl in hurt and anger.

To retaliate, he thrust his other hoof forward, smashing Roan directly in the chest to weaken his grip before Bogo used the same hoof to grab hard onto Roan's muzzle, forcing him to pull his head back to drag his blood stained teeth from the Buffalo's limb…

Bogo grunted heavily when he pushed the Panther away, left leaning forward and exposed.

It didn't help that Roan had recovered quickly, again taking the opportunity to attack the Buffalo while he was down. Except this time, Roan purposefully retracted his claws, going too fast for Bogo to counter and growling wildly, as he threw several strong punches directly to the bovine's exposed muzzle-

Bogo barely flinched… even if some of the Panther's punches were hard enough to split his lip, he was swift to cease this assault. The next instant he saw Roan pull his right paw back to throw it forwards once more, Bogo simply ducked his head, causing the Panther's balled up black paw to collide straight against his stone hard boss-

"RRAAARGGHH!" Roan roared in agony, pulling back his now undoubtedly broken paw…

And before he could even finish cringing from the pain, Bogo clamped his right hoof on Roan's wrist, pulling the Panther with him as he stood up, forcing Roan to twist on the spot before Bogo wrapped his mauled left arm around the front of the Panther's neck, proceeding to catch him in a headlock.

Except Bogo didn't get the chance to complete it before Roan responded. The mad Panther lifted up his good, unrestrained, left paw- claws out… using his natural weapons to slash the Buffalo's face, scarcely catching his eye-

Bogo let out another loud, annoyed grunt as he flinched, letting go of Roan's arm and pulling his own from the front of the feline's neck, letting him go…

Or that's what Roan thought had happened.

Bogo suddenly pushed Roan forward, knocking him off balance, and was about to fall completely to the floor until he felt the Buffalo's vice-like grip clamp onto his tail, and also onto one of the back straps of his tactical gear-

And before Roan knew it, Bogo had lifted him up from the base of his spine and his upper back to swiftly send him flying again whilst letting out an almighty roar, sending the Panther hurtling through the air until Roan crashed against the front of the overturned LAPV, and slumped to the ground.

Roan looked up with a start, cringing from the pain of the impact, exhaling heavily, but still scowling in defiance of his larger adversary…

Bogo was approaching him, a furious scowl plastered on his own muzzle now as he reached down to grab the Panther once more-

Only Roan immediately lifted both his legs to double kick the Buffalo in the muzzle, forcing Bogo to back off, and pause as he spat a small amount of blood from his mouth.

Roan quickly shuffled back to his feet, and charged forward once more, claws out and ready to draw more of the bovine's blood. He tackled Bogo head on, jumping up and managing to once slash his claws down the Buffalo's chest.

But once only.

Bogo caught him again, unfazed by the extra tears through his uniform and skin as he promptly forced the enraged feline back against the front of the upturned armoured car with a strong but simple push.

After shaking his head, Roan attempted to get up again-

Only for Bogo to swiftly punch him back down.

…

He let the Panther be for the moment, because even though it went against every regulation he swore to uphold, Bogo wanted to see this psychopath suffer. He needed to pay for the damage he had done, and the lives he had taken.

Strolling to the side of the crashed LAPV, Bogo placed his hoof hard and yanked the passenger side door free from its hinges, ripping it from the vehicle with an ear-piercing sound of snapping metal. He held the door firm as he rounded back to the front of the vehicle.

Roan was leaning against it, blood dripping from the fur on his muzzle as it seeped from his mouth and nose…

But he still refused go down-

So Bogo made him.

With a swift swing of the bullet riddled metal, Bogo smacked his improvised weapon against the Panther, striking Roan to the floor with a harsh metallic thud.

It sent him rolling across the road a few feet before he stopped. Through his still heavy exhales, Roan had to pause as he coughed up a spat of blood, before he looked beside him… all too conveniently to see something he could use to fight back: a thick steel pole that used to be the driveshaft for the LAPV's four wheel drive, sheared during the crash. He growled furiously as he clamped his paws on it, acquiring the heavy steel shaft and first using it to pick himself up off the cold wet tarmac of the bridge…

When back on his two wobbly feet, Roan let out a mad roar as he threw all his weight to swing around with the hard steel shaft, the tip of it scratching against Bogo's improvised door shield with a metallic screech as he blocked it.

Roan instantly swung his makeshift weapon once more in the opposite direction…

Only this time, Bogo pushed forward, deflecting Roan's swing and knocking him back. Bogo pressed forward, taking the chance of the Panther's flinch to swing the heavy armoured door against him again, striking Roan in his left side, forcing the Panther to drop his improvised weapon and sending him down to the ground again.

Roan landed with a hard thud, left exposed on his front on the saturated asphalt. He groaned as he tried to lift himself up, knowing that his strength had left him, and his defeat was inevitable… but he refused to accept it.

Or at least until what happened next…

Without Roan knowing, and without expecting it, Bogo had no intention of relenting this time while the Panther was down. The Buffalo closed the gap between them, lifting the heavy armoured door over his head, and abruptly brought it back down, slamming the edge against Roan's left leg-

"AAARRRRGGHH!" the Panther roared, loud enough it echoed over the resounding crack of his broken femur, the bone having completely snapped from the impact, and his flesh gouged open from the edge of the heavy steel door.

Bogo soon lifted the metal slab from Roan's leg, causing the Panther to let out a rasping growl of agony. Roan continued to gasp and growl as he tried to move his leg to crawl and get away from the Buffalo, meanwhile Bogo tossed the ripped door of the LAPV away like piece of scrap paper where it clanged against the ground.

Next, Bogo leaned down to clasp onto the scruff of Roan's neck with his vice-like grip, making the Panther snarl in agony again as Bogo forced him to his feet, and onto his severely broken leg, then next, proceeding to wrap his right arm around the front of the feline's neck to try and catch Roan in a chokehold…

Like the last time though, Roan swiftly attempted to free himself; lifting his good left paw to try and scratch his assailant's face and make him let go.

Bogo wasn't falling for that this time.

As soon as Roan lifted his left arm, Bogo caught it with his own, clamping onto the feline's limb and pulling it painfully behind him.

Roan began to squirm in place, immobilised by Bogo's grip on him… and it wasn't about to get any easier for him.

Roan continued to growl in hurt and anger as Bogo continued to pull his left arm backwards whilst simultaneously forcing Roan to lean forwards… all the way until it was as far as his shoulder socket would allow…

And Bogo made one forceful final jerk backwards-

"RRAAARRRGGHH!" Roan roared out in agony again, drowning out the sound of his snapping humerus bone, alongside his now dislocated shoulder.

Roan's left arm went limp, dropping motionlessly to his side as Bogo let it go, allowing the Buffalo to catch the feline in a complete chokehold.

With his airway now constricted, Roan writhed around more than ever to try and free himself from the Buffalo's grasp, but with his left leg broken, left arm broken, right paw broken and a lot more injuries too, any move he made just put him through agony… but he still refused to desist. He tried shifting his head, enough to catch his sharp predatory teeth on Bogo's right arm, biting in as much as he could.

It worked too… Bogo quickly released Roan from the chokehold-

But only so he could grab hold of the Panther's scruff with his left hoof, and send a hard punch to Roan's temple with his right, putting him in an immediate daze, and swiftly quelling any other attempt to prolong the inevitable…

Bogo resumed the chokehold… but despite his injuries and lack of coherency in the moment, Roan continued to try and squirm free, only for it to be in vain.

The Buffalo held tighter, constricting the Panther's neck further and further until Roan's vigorous wriggling began to decrease while Bogo choked the life out of him, slowly with each passing second-

Until the squirming ceased, Roan's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his breathing fell to a steady slow pace…

Bogo released the half conscious Panther from the chokehold, keeping his grip on him as he turned the feline to face him, and then clasped onto Roan's empty tactical gear, finishing him with several resolute and vengeful punches into his muzzle, growling with each one.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Knocking several of his teeth out, leaving his muzzle swollen and covered in blood, eyes bloodshot, breaths coming out in hoarse gasps for air… until Bogo decreed the Panther had had enough…

And with one last powerful punch, Bogo let the feline go.

Roan silently slipped down to his knees in front of the Buffalo, staying upright for a moment before gently swaying, falling to his left, landing on his side, sprawled gracelessly on the cold, wet tarmac of the bridge, where he remained unmoved… battered, beaten, bruised, bleeding…

And defeated.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

 ** _'The Longest Minute'_**

* * *

 _1:00_

 _…_

 _0:59_

 _…_

 _0:58_

 _…_

 _0:57_

* * *

The only sounds around them now was the odd rumble of thunder, the cold creaking of the bridge's steel suspension cables, and the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the already saturated tarmac of the road deck. It fell lighter now, as had the frequency of the thunder diminished; the storm had seemed to become less vigorous now that the fighting was over.

In fact… it was almost silent…

Now that it was over.

All over.

…

Bogo stood over the vanquished Panther... But he didn't stand there triumphantly as the rain washed away the blood slowly oozing from his wounds. Because he knew, he had only given Roan exactly what he wanted.

The Panther had been given his last stand.

…

Roan remained unmoved where Bogo had finally let him fall to the ground after being beaten to a bloody pulp. A crimson puddle was forming beside him from his worst wounds: the bullet wound through his right chest still exuding away, as well as the gouged flesh on his left leg, and the compound fracture of his left arm where his broken humerus was sticking out at an angle. Adding all that with the blood from his scarred muzzle, and the forced tooth extractions from the Buffalo's relentless punches, the blood continued to seep, merging and draining away with the rainwater around them.

He was marginally breathing, inhales and exhales coming and going in strained gasps for air, with splutters and coughs of blood from his mouth and nose in between, and quiet groans and mewls of anguish.

For Bogo, it was fairly easy to deduce that the Panther wasn't going anywhere… and so he turned away, taking a step-

But suddenly, Roan coughed loudly, his outburst quickly turning into a contemptuous chuckle.

Bogo turned to face him, wearing an unamused expression, watching the Panther…

Roan strained at just the simple act of lifting his battered head from the cold ground, wearing a mockingly triumphant smirk across his bloody, disfigured muzzle, revealing his missing teeth, and the ones that remained, still stained red;

"You-" he coughed out snidely, spluttering through the blood in his mouth, "… may have beaten- … me… _Thelonious_ …"

Bogo narrowed his eyes, fixed directly on the stricken Panther at the sudden use of his first name- not that he was ashamed of it in any way, only that it was a detail about himself he rarely shared, not even with his Officers. And yet, this bloodthirsty psychopath somehow knew it. Bogo glared at the scornful feline, stepping slowly towards him, with a stern frown across his muzzle as Roan continued to gloat;

"… Bu- … you've already lost…"

Bogo stood directly over him now, reaching down to once again clasp onto Roan's empty tactical gear across his chest.

"You-" Roan coughed and cringed, "… can't stop it… Chief,"

Now Bogo lifted the Panther from the ground, bringing him up to his eye level.

Roan showed now instance of pain on his face. He only continued to make that sinister, scornful smile;

"Time's up."

…

"Be quiet." Bogo growled…

Then he simply let go, letting Roan fall limply against the roadway once more, gracelessly in a heap, and turned away.

As he looked up, in amongst the debris, Bogo spotted the discarded inhaler Roan had used multiple times during their duel, lying not but a few metres away. He stomped towards it quickly, snatching it up with his hoof to bring it to his eye to examine it curiously.

There was still a small amount of the blue liquid left inside the transparent canister, and the plastic was slightly scuffed from its repeated use… and throughout the battle, Bogo had easily deduced what that use was for.

He placed the inhaler inside his shirt pocket, and thundered off down the bridge towards the rest of the crash…

* * *

Roan didn't even wait to make sure Bogo had completely gone before he leaned his head over to his left. He blinked hard several times before his eyesight came to a resolution he could see clearly enough.

With his sideways view across the soaked asphalt, he saw Madelyn, only a few metres away, still lying on her side, unmoved from where she had fallen earlier, after being struck down by the Bunny cop.

Roan gazed at her intently…

But she wasn't gazing back. Her eyes were closed; the most recent blow to her head had likely knocked her out cold.

…

As he gazed at her, Roan reminisced about their lives together, knowing it was soon to come to an end.

He himself, just as much as she, did not remember how or when they met. For as long as Roan could remember, Madelyn had always been there for him, and he was there for her, the two of them together, standing against the world. They helped to support each other's dreams… whatever they were now, completely forgotten from their minds when the world denied it to them, giving them both instead, bigotry, pain and suffering. However, they were both ambitious mammals, and sought then to make right what they believed was wrong with the world. They may have both grown up to become bloodthirsty, psychopathic killers… but the one thing that never changed was their love for each other, and they were both determined, that if they were to die, this day or the next, or many years in the future, they would do so side by side, together as partners…

And it seemed now that today was that day.

…

Fighting back the pain from his severe injuries, Roan strained to reach his good right arm forward to drag himself, and shuffle his good right leg to push himself along the soaked roadway. Every movement was torture, causing Roan to groan in agony, as he slowly crawled towards the lifeless form of his mate.

Upon coming close enough, he reached out to her, missing her sprawled limbs by an inch, speaking out to grab her attention;

"Maddie…" Roan whispered, his volume hindered by his hoarse voice.

The Coyote failed to respond.

Roan crawled until he was directly beside her, placing his broken right paw on her shoulder to gently nudge her to consciousness;

"Maddie?"

She remained silent.

Something was off, and Roan could feel it, as he gently nudged her once more;

"Madelyn?-" he stopped suddenly as his voice broke in sorrow, coming to realise the undeniable truth.

She was gone.

…

Tears welled in Roan's eyes. His voice, breath and lips began to tremble, when he noticed she wasn't breathing; a combination of her crushed trachea and blood in her throat had led her to suffocate during her unconsciousness.

He'd lost everything now. Silently, Roan welcomed his coming demise. He would do so with open arms if he could. He would suffer through all of that agony, all that pain- willingly, as his sacrifice…

But not the pain he felt in his broken heart.

He spoke out calmly, small salty tears now leaving his eyes and dripping from his face- merging with the rainfall, as he cupped his broken right paw behind Madelyn's head, pulling her close, gently kissing his departed wife on her cold forehead, before whispering softly into her deaf ears;

"Wait for me, my love… I'll see you again soon…"

…

* * *

Nick still hadn't moved an inch since he'd been shot, and since Judy and Fang had been forced to leave him behind… not that he could move. Just simply breathing was a tough enough task for him right now, continuing to make only short, croaky gasps, as he kept his grip solid on Judy's carrot pen, still clutched to his chest in his left paw.

He hadn't been taking any notice of his surroundings… focussing only on remembering to breathe, and clinging onto life. It was becoming steadily more difficult with each passing second… and each of those passing seconds seemed to become steadily longer as they passed. He was becoming increasingly nauseated; any attempt to look around himself, even in his grounded position on the soaked asphalt, sent his head in a spin, caused his eyesight to blur and his hearing to become muffled. Instead, he just kept his eyes closed, stayed motionless, and paid no attention to his senses.

Nick could almost feel the beat in his pained chest getting slower and slower… terrifying him, knowing that sooner or later it would simply give up, whether he liked it or not…

That was, if the ensuing explosion didn't kill him first.

Nick tried not to think about it- any of it… he just hoped, and held onto that special orange pen as tight as he could.

…

Although, even with his impaired hearing, Nick had overheard glimpses of the scuffle behind him between two mammals, out of his sight. He couldn't be sure who was fighting, nor did he really care at this moment… not since he felt like three rhinoceroses had consecutively slammed straight into his chest…

But he could still hear some sounds of the battle behind him.

It seemed to go on forever.

Only it soon went silent.

And after some more muffled noises, Nick could feel the heavy vibration through the tarmac beneath him, as someone stomped over to where he lay.

…

It hadn't taken more than a couple of seconds for Bogo to reach the stricken Red Fox…

He immediately knelt down beside him, concern plastered over his face, because… despite how much the damn vulpine annoyed him on an almost daily basis with his snarky humour and sarcastic wit… He was still one of _his_ Officer's, and in only three years, had quickly become one of his best.

Bogo reached down, carefully placing a hoof on the Fox's shoulder, mouthing in concern;

"Nicholas…"

The Fox stirred gently.

Barely conscious.

Barely alive.

Nick only just managed to open his eyes, staring up at his Commanding Officer.

…

He was somewhat mystified by Bogo's sudden appearance. It hadn't occurred to him at all why Judy and Fang had managed to reach him if Roan was still armed. Now it all made sense…

And if Bogo was here, it meant that Roan had quite likely been dealt with, despite putting up an admirable last stand, because Bogo himself looked particularly worse for wear right now, leading Nick to humorously wonder what state the Panther was in.

In his mind, and his mind only, Nick was smirking, and he would have instantly made some snarky comment about the Chief's bloody ruffled appearance, considering Bogo often kept his attire in pristine condition-

But that was energy Nick couldn't afford.

…

He simply leaned his head, looking past the imposing Buffalo along the length of the bridge, staring only at the overturned trailer of the crashed semi-truck… telling Bogo exactly where he needed to go.

Bogo followed his eye line, instantly realising Nick's gesture as his message. He turned back to face the Fox- but Nick wasn't looking back. He'd gone back to closing his eyes, focussing only on continuing to breathe.

Bogo quickly stood, forced to leave his injured Officer behind, turning to charge down the rest of the bridge towards the overturned trailer…

* * *

Inside the dented shipping container, Judy and Fang had continued to frantically disassemble the Nighthowler Bomb, or at least disconnect the toxic chemical component... all meanwhile the glowing screen of the timer continued to count down, silently taunting the Rabbit and Wolf in their effort.

Canister after canister Judy had ripped the clumps of C4 off of, and Fang had disposed of outside…

But it wasn't enough.

Every time Judy reached for another gas tank, she glanced at the timer, watching it ominously ticking away towards their doom. She was already exhausted… both she and Fang were, their efficiency held back by their fatigue, pain from cuts, bruises, fractured and broken bones, and the slight nausea from blood loss, and Judy's paws were beyond sore now, causing her further discomfort as she continued to rip the plastic explosive away.

And now with less than a minute left, there were still at least a dozen Nighthowler gas filled tanks left ready to blow alone, never mind the rest of the explosives.

At a point, Judy just had to stop, her breath coming out in heavy wheezes, and trying to hide her crying gasps as she clenched her pained paws, and squinted her eyes shut, forcing tears to vacate them and slowly drip through the fur on her face, and sting into the cuts on her cheek.

She persisted however, reaching for another canister, allowing none of the endless thoughts cascading through her mind to get in the way of what she needed to do: her duty, and using that naturally strong willpower of hers to prevent her from breaking down in the moment… but still knowing in the back of her mind, that she and Fang were just prolonging the inevitable…

They couldn't stop it.

And they _were_ going to die.

…

On his next return to the inside of the trailer, Fang paused as he saw the teary eyed Bunny, catching Judy just as she wiped a tear from her left eye, and quickly tore off the clump of C4 attached to the canister in front of her.

He came up to take the canister away when she spoke out to him;

"Fang…" she mumbled dismally, looking towards him, "… There's just too many…"

Fang didn't respond. He took the canister from Judy, throwing it outside where it clanged against the road, and quickly looked at the timer himself.

* * *

 _0:44_

 _…_

 _0:43_

 _…_

 _0:42_

 _…_

 _0:41_

* * *

He instantly shared Judy's sentiments on their situation. There were too many canisters still attached, and too little time left.

The time for caution had passed.

"Fu*k it…" Fang muttered, climbing past Judy to grab one of the toxic canisters himself, and placed his paw on the wire leading to the blasting cap-

"You said not to do that!-" Judy burst out.

"What does it matter Judy!?" Fang snapped, "You're right… we're out of time…"

He turned back to the wire his paw was clamped on, and squinted hard, praying his gamble would be harmless, as with one tough yank, he pulled the blasting cap clean from the plastic explosive.

He paused a moment, but there was no reaction… so he simply lifted the canister to throw outside with the others that had already been disconnected, and turned to the Rabbit;

"Do the rest of them… quick!" he told Judy, before quickly grabbing another.

Silently, Judy started to do the same thing, reaching for another canister herself, and simply yanking the blasting cap from the C4 with a strong tug… and within a few tense seconds, they both had all of the remaining Nighthowler gas canisters disconnected, leaving the bomb as just a normal conventional explosive.

"That's the last one…" Judy uttered, handing the last canister to Fang for him to throw outside, "City saved… Now what?"

Fang huffed as he looked at the remaining mess of explosives: the four high-explosive bombs, and the numerous clumps of C4 still attached to their detonators;

"Might as well test my luck, right?"

Judy watched him as he knelt down against the cold steel of the trailer, picking up the jumbled mess of wires, fumbling through them until he found the car fuse box it was attached to…

And his mind instantly drew a blank.

The first thing Fang noticed is there were far more wires than there ought to be… a combination of live, trip and dummy ones, several leading to the same port and fuses all of the same colour rather than being colour coded. He knew messing with the timer would set it off, messing with the battery would set it off, and quite likely any part of the fuse box or the detonators for the four high explosive bombs too. Considering it was an improvised explosive, there was no way to tell for sure. It was as if the mammal who designed this purposefully made it a ridiculously complicated mess so it was impossible to disarm…

Judy could hear Fang muttering under his breath, but the words were indistinguishable; all she was hearing from the Wolf was gibberish as he fumbled with the electrics-

And agitatedly started yanking several wires from the fuse box, cringing with each one at the possible fiery result of his risk taking, but the pressure of the situation very quickly broke him;

"It's no use!" Fang growled in anger, throwing the fuse box to the cold metallic floor, "I can't- Even if I _did_ know what I was doing, I-"

He stopped when he tripped over his words, as the same stark realisation that had hit Judy now hit Fang that moment, as he lifted his head to glance at the taunting ticking timer.

It was too late to disarm.

It was too late to run.

And after everything he'd been through today... cheating death at almost every turn because others had saved him… this time when it was down to him, he couldn't do it.

This time there was no escape.

This time, it really was game over.

…

"We're not getting out of this, are we?" Judy asked blankly.

"Not without a miracle…" Fang shook his head hopelessly, but his next statement came out in a misleadingly chirpier tone; "But… I suppose, there are worse ways to go-"

Fang was suddenly interrupted as a heavy slam of hoof on metal echoed from the entrance of the trailer as Bogo abruptly came into view, startling him and Judy at the Buffalo's sudden appearance when they jolted their attention towards him.

And upon seeing the hopeless expressions of his Officer's, and the jumbled mess of explosives, Bogo spoke;

"EOD is still on the way…" he explained, "How long?-"

"Not long enough…" Judy interrupted.

* * *

 _0:29_

 _…_

 _0:28_

 _…_

 _0:27_

 _…_

 _0:26_

* * *

Bogo grimaced angrily as he saw the counting figures of the bomb's timer, before quickly turning to the Wolf and asked;

"Fangmeyer, tell me quick…" he fumbled for the inhaler in his shirt pocket, now holding it up to display it to the canine, "… what is this stuff?"

"Some kind of, Nighthowler based, performance enhancing drug," Fang explained confusedly, "Why?"

Bogo didn't answer.

Instead, he lifted his head, out of Judy and Fang's view, now peering at the outside of the container, looking along the dented steel, ripped and blasted holes and stripped armour plates to see the other end of the trailer…

Bogo didn't so much care for his own wellbeing. He had seen enough action on the Force to last over two lifetimes at the least, and knew he was more than capable of handling most life and death situations himself. But when it came to the wellbeing of his Officers, he would sooner put his own life on the line before any of them… he meant that more than anything.

And today, he had been forced to sit back, in command, watching and waiting- almost powerless, as his Officer's descended into a living hell against an enemy they had little intel on, but had no choice but to stop these terrorists at all costs before things got any worse. To Bogo, this whole day had been the worst kind of torture for him, and he had lost too many good mammals- cut down in their prime. Mammals just doing their jobs. Mammals with families: parents, siblings, husbands and wives, sons and daughters… who would now never see their loved ones again.

He wasn't going to lose anyone else…

And Bogo would be damned if he let that maniacal Panther win this day.

…

So as he looked along the length of the trailer, across the bridge where the opposite end had broken through the barrier to the raging waters below… Bogo devised a simple, but absolute solution:

The container was already poking off the edge of the bridge…

All it needed was, one, big, push.

…

His face was stern as usual when he peered back inside, staring at the perplexed Rabbit and Wolf, and simply ordered;

"Get out of the trailer."

"Sir?"

" _OUT!_ "

Without hesitation, Judy and Fang rushed out of the trailer, the Wolf helping the Bunny to move on her injured leg as they hurried past the imposing Buffalo… when both of them almost gasped in shock as they saw Bogo bring the Nighthowler inhaler to his muzzle, breathing out fully before placing the mouthpiece to his lips and pressing the canister. Inhaling fully, he took all of the cerulean gas into his lungs-

The effects were instant...

Bogo felt the rush around his body, quelling the distracting pain from his injuries, and fuelling his muscles with that extra boost of strength he would need.

He cast the inhaler away, leaned forward, breathing with growling huffs through his nose as he clamped his hoofs onto the edge of the shipping container with two loud metallic slams, preparing for the moment, to unleash his overwhelming strength:

And then, Judy and Fang only looked on in awe as Bogo lifted the open end of the several dozen tonne trailer from the asphalt of the bridge, letting out an almighty and thunderous roar that rivalled the great tempest raging overhead… proclaiming to the world that he, the ZPD, and the whole of Zootopia, would not be so easily beaten…

Judy and Fang backed away further as Bogo continued to growl loudly in undying defiance, pushing the entire 53 foot-long, bomb filled trailer further towards the edge of the bridge with ear-splitting screeches as the metal scraped across the tarmac-

Where finally, it began to slip along itself, as the weight of the shipping container shifted to the far end, and it lost its equilibrium.

Bogo let go as the metal screeched once more along the edge of the bridge, dropping to his knees as the container fell out of sight beneath the road deck, and plummeted through the air, taken away by the wailing storm winds before it plunged into the raging waters of Zootopia Sound below.

It floated for a moment, before the current took it away and the water claimed it as its own, dragging the trailer down into the abyss below where it sank further and further with each passing second…

…

Bogo huffed in exhaustion, breathing heavily as he stayed there on his knees, leaning forward to prop himself up on his arms to rest after his powerful physical spectacle…

He wished he could have done more… but he had done all he could.

Now, with the few possible seconds he had left, all he could do was wait, and hope, that luck was on their side.

…

Behind him, almost on the complete opposite side of the roadway, Fang could do nothing else. He simply dropped to his rear, leaned back, propping himself up on his paws with his drenched tail draped behind him, as he looked upwards, staring into the stormy sky for a moment before he closed his eyes… feeling the droplets of rain fall upon his fur.

He liked the rain… but he much preferred the snow. As an Arctic Wolf, it was only natural, and now he had someone to share that preference with. So, with the few possible seconds he had left while he gazed upward, he thought only of the beautiful Snow Leopard that had stolen his heart… hoping that he would survive this ordeal, and see her sometime soon.

…

Whereas Judy… she didn't want to be anywhere else than to be by Nick's side. As soon as the trailer fell from sight, she moved towards him, back down the bridge with a quick stumbling scurry, very nearly collapsing beside him when she reached him.

Nick opened his eyes when she did, gazing at her with an adoring stare. Judy looked back at him, returning the same gesture, only with tears welling in her eyes. There was no need for words… even without, the two of them knew how much they cared for the other… and maybe- just maybe, if they survived this, they would finally pluck up the courage to tell each other how they felt…

So with the few possible seconds they had left, the Fox gently reached out to the Bunny with his right paw, taking hers in his with a comforting grip, staring at one another with a tender smile, before both simultaneously closing their eyes-

Hoping this moment was not to be their last.

…

Because, deep below the water beneath them, the bomb filled trailer continued to sink, further and further into the aquatic abyss… until the only light visible in the watery darkness was a small touch screen smartphone, displaying a short sequence of descending numbers:

* * *

 _0:05_

 _…_

 _0:04_

 _…_

 _0:03_

 _…_

 _0:02_

 _…_

 _0:01_

 _…_

 _0:00-_


	35. Chapter 34

**A/N: Hello all! And first off, I would like to apologise for the long wait, especially after the cliffhanger of that last chapter. I uploaded it then because I was going away and wanted to get that out before I went because it pretty much finished that part of the story. This next chapter however ended up being so long (or at least what I personally deem to be long) that I decided to cut it into three… so err… yea, sorry again :D Don't worry, I'm planning to upload these next three over the course of the week, first today, second on Friday and then third next Tuesday, so you won't have long to wait.**

 **For the record, if you're expecting more action… sorry, it's over. It's just the drama now, so I'll shut up, and let you read on...**

* * *

Chapter 34

 ** _'Three Simple Words – Part 1: Love'_**

* * *

In the many years since its inception, Zootopia had seen a great number of odd times. Dark days, where the city descended to prejudices and the likes of bigotry overtook common sense. Other days, where nothing interesting happened whatsoever, and every mammal would just continue living their day to day lives. And joyous days, where the many millions of mammalian citizens would celebrate their unity, and treat one another with respect and admiration.

Zootopia was far from the perfect city, but it was still the only one of its kind in the world, and in that imperfection it had thrived, always striving to be better. Three years ago, it had only just begun to heal after the civil unrest caused by the Savage Attacks Crisis… only for it to not long continue afterwards, worsening every day, until the dastardly plot was once again foiled by the prestigious Officers of the Zootopia Police Department. Only, back then, no-one had any idea that something worse was still to come… and in those three years since, there had been many dark days for the mammalian metropolis. Days where the city was plagued by fanatics seeking to destroy it, blind on revenge and the ambition of creating a newer society... one that bettered them, and them alone.

Today had been one of those days… one of those _odd_ , dark days- and it hadn't even passed midday yet. While the city was always loud, always bustling, always a busy mess at nearly all hours of the day, this morning it had been rocked by gunfire, explosions small and large, fires, death and destruction on an unprecedented and unpredictable scale, and not to mention, one of the worst weather events the city had ever seen in its many long years. Truly, every moment of this day- morning specifically, could never have been predicted by anyone to how it had actually happened. It would certainly be a day that every citizen of Zootopia would remember…

…

But this one particular moment, not one of them would remember. All they would remember was the storm, thinking it was a clap of thunder-

A clap of thunder so loud, it rumbled the earth, shook the ground like an earthquake, and sent a small tsunami along the city's prominent waterfront.

And then it was over.

…

In due time of course, the media would be all over what had happened. Prying with question, after question, of which only few could be answered. Only then, the citizens of the city would know of the perils they had been unknowingly facing that day.

Only then, would they know of the heroics of the ones who had saved them, indebted to their saviours… yet, still not knowing the awful experiences that those certain individuals had been through to save them.

…

For them… the ones who were there… the ones who had gone above and beyond the call of duty: The Heroes of Zootopia.

For them they would always remember.

…

As they waited for the end, hoping for anything but… They would always remember the pop-

Then the deafening boom.

The pain in their ears- the ringing, and the silence beyond it.

They would remember the blast of hot air, ruffling through their wet fur as they were knocked to the cold ground.

They would remember the roaring torrent of displaced water towering above them into the sky.

They would remember the bridge shaking and swaying, creaking under pressure- the tarmac ripping itself apart across the road deck, and some of the suspension cables snapping from the force of the blast.

They would remember all of these perils, the deadly noises, the feeling of hopelessness, expecting the ground to fall from beneath them at every instant, letting them fall to their watery grave, constantly thinking to themselves in those endless seconds of dread:

 _'This is it. This is how I die.'_

…

But despite all this… The fact of the matter was, they _would_ remember it…

Because whether it was by the marvels of the dexterity of Zootopian engineering… or by simple, sheer, and paramount quantities of luck.

The bridge held strong.

…

And as the sound of the thundering blast shimmered off into the distance, the fire burned out below, and the soaring surge of exploded water fell down amongst the rain…

Silence fell.

Not even the great tempest above continued to growl in fury; the only sound that remained was the gentle pitter-patter of water droplets falling upon the cold asphalt.

* * *

It was some time before any of the mammals on the bridge stirred from the aftermath...

Only once the ringing deafness in her ears and disorientation in her head had partially worn off was when Judy decided to open her eyes. Everything was still a blur, causing her to scrunch them closed again as the irritation made her eyes water.

Judy only just realised she was now lying down, as opposed to earlier, the force of the blast having knocked her over, as well as the disorienting shock had obliterated her memory of it... not that it was something she wanted to remember, having been (among others today) one of the worst things she had ever experienced. That overall memory would never diminish... but there was one overbearing fact she was somehow forgetting:

She was alive.

But that was not as important to her as something else, as Judy attempted to reopen her eyes...

Her vision was clearer now... and in her sideways view across the roadway, she could see the drenched, but distinct, rusty red fur of the mammal she loved still lying next to her. A small adoring smile graced Judy's lips that she was still next to Nick. Though that shouldn't have been news to her... Throughout the ordeal, she had kept her grip strong, clasped to the Fox's paw with her own-

And she could feel his grip too. It was weak, but it was there... and Judy could see Nick still slowly breathing with a casual rise and fall of his chest.

...

She lifted her head slowly, one bloody chipped ear and one not, drooped down the back of her head. The Bunny was still slightly dizzy, as she brought her arms forward to lean up on them, moving closer to her Fox by shuffling gently across the wet tarmac; she was going to avoid using her mauled leg this time.

Judy briefly glanced at her bloody limb, noticing it had now ceased to bleed, although the distinct clawed wounds would undoubtedly scar, but hopefully would be hidden beneath her fur once they had healed. What was weird as well was that the light rainfall now only soothed the wound, rather than irritate it.

She looked up, now staring down the bridge, seeing in the perspective and marginally arching view that while the colossal viaduct was still standing, it certainly wasn't undamaged. It was ever so slightly tipped to the right side. It was that side as well where more of the suspension cables had snapped, some of the steel cables dangling flaccidly from above where they had snapped from the road deck, while others had fell from above, hanging over the side of the bridge or draping across the roadway like long metal snakes.

The black tarmac roadway was torn apart in places, uneven cracks severing through the asphalt and in other places had even made it upturn, revealing the concrete panels beneath it, and creating potholes that now fell directly through to the steel superstructure underneath the roadway, and down to the waters below.

Beyond the boundaries of the bridge however, there wasn't really all that much to look at still. While the storm fog had cleared, their position in the middle of the centre span of Lionsgate Bridge was almost a mile from either shoreline, therefore being too far to make out any major details of the waterfront.

The sky was still plastered with puffy grey clouds, and the wind still came in frequent strong gusts among times of emptiness.

The storm was dying.

But most importantly of all:

No blue gas.

...

Judy could see along the bridge where the huge pile of unexploded canisters full of Nighthowler gas remained where the overturned trailer used to be, only now the tanks were scattered across the roadway, having been moving with the motion of the bridge during the blast...

And as it seemed, each one remained perfectly intact.

She could also see that Fang and Bogo were also perfectly intact... or at least, mostly, considering their earlier injuries. The Wolf and the Buffalo were slowly stirring themselves, although clearly still disoriented having been closer to the bomb's detonation, even if it was only marginally.

At least they were moving...

Judy looked down to her side.

Nick _wasn't_ moving.

She still had her paw clasped to his this whole time. His chest still gently rose and fell as he let air in and out of his bloody muzzle, facing upwards with his eyes still closed. He looked unfazed by it all, completely oblivious to anything but the grip his paw had on hers. He looked peaceful... almost fulfilled.

And it mired in Judy's head that likely wasn't a good thing.

"Nick…" she quietly spoke out to him, reaching to tenderly place her paw to his left shoulder.

She had to gulp back her shock when she found the cut on his neck, supposedly where one or more of the psychotic mammals he'd fought against today had tried to sever his artery, and ultimately kill him. As Judy looked at him, she couldn't imagine what he'd been through, and had no idea how he had kept going this whole time... never mind the injuries, the blood... just-

He just looked exhausted.

"Nick..." Judy spoke out again, moving her paw to gently caress the Fox's cheek, carefully avoiding his reopened wound from the machete blade, and the gash around his eye, "Nick, it's over... we did it,"

This time, he responded.

Nick slowly opened his eyes, only marginally with his heavy eyelids, but enough to clearly see around him.

He was no longer staring at that dull and dreary grey sky.

Although what he was staring at was still grey... but a shining grey... grey and fluffy, even if several cuts across her cheek and brow had seeped crimson into her fur, Judy still looked as ravishing as ever to him. But it wasn't her fur that Nick was looking at...

It was those pearlescent amethyst eyes he was staring into, which were in turn, staring back into his own emerald gems.

A small smile broke out across the Fox's muzzle, matching the Rabbit's own, the two of them just staring at one another lovingly, eye to eye, soul to soul.

His hope had been well founded, not that Nick had ever- not even for a second, had doubted her.

He tried to speak, but even just trying to make an audible whisper strained his chest, only allowing him to make a quiet grunt and forced him to cringe and cough, making him break his sight away from his and Judy's shared tender gaze.

"Take it easy Nick," Judy soothed, "you're in a bad way, but you're gonna be fine... ok, we're gonna get you out of here-"

She cut herself off as it appeared to her that Nick slowly shook his head, as his smile shrank into a pained frown and he cringed again, silently.

Judy's smile disappeared too, as Nick stared at her again, though this time, with a nervous gaze that said: ' _I'm sorry_ '.

It irked Judy as she observed him, making her anxious to whatever the Fox was sorry for.

In a moment, Nick forced Judy's attention away from his face when he looked down past her, directly at his clenched left paw still held against his chest. As soon as he saw Judy looking at it, Nick gradually revealed what he was holding; Judy instantly recognised it as her trademark carrot pen, as Nick kept the device sheltered from the light rain in his paw before slowly flipping it over, pointing the top of the pen's plastic green leaf towards her, motioning for her to take it.

Bewildered from his actions, Judy gently took it from him, swapping her gaze between the pen and her Fox in confusion.

Nick just made a small smirk at the Bunny's bemusement and simply gestured with his left paw for her to play whatever was recorded on the pen's secret dictaphone. His smile turned tender as Judy looked at the pen...

It said everything he wanted to say to her.

Judy held the pen up in front of her, and calmly pressed the play button:

* * *

 ** _1 hour and 53 minutes earlier…_**

It was still silent... the silence before the storm. Only the sound of the light wind blowing through the rotted doors was audible in the chaotic mess of the abandoned church, along with the almost soundless ruffling of pieces of chipped stonework, bullet casings and dust, tumbling across the old stone floor.

There were five mammals in the main hall of the church: the bullet riddled remains of a black bear in the centre aisle, the blasted remains of a wolf down the right side aisle, the limp body of a hyena beside the altar, and a Cheetah, lifelessly lying on his back on the steps before the altar, with a crimson waterfall now only slowly exuding from his slashed open neck, puddling with red around him...

The only mammal in the main hall that was still living was a single Red Fox... although his friends and squad mates were downstairs in the basement, trying to break into the secret underground armoury. It hadn't been long since the Fox's Wolf companion had descended the stairs into the basement and was out of earshot after their heart-to-heart talk.

Now, Nicholas Wilde stood on his own, leaning on the aged stone wall adjacent to the empty doorway to the basement, with the torn off door placed the opposite side.

His mind was in a fog with all different clouds of emotions at the moment. He was still reeling with his close brush (or several close brushes) with death, still in a slight frenzy from all the fighting, still nervous from his talk with Judy, still feeling like kicking himself for cowering out of saying what he wanted to say to her, and left in a weird state of both confusion and confidence after his talk with Fang-

And then, a sudden feeling of dread...

In the back of his mind, something was telling Nick that something worse was still to come today, and something bad was going to happen... to him, to Judy, to anyone or everyone else- he didn't know. In due time, he would find out what that terror was, and what the true stakes of this day really were. But until then, as he stayed leaning against the aged and unkempt stone wall in the narthex of the abandoned church. Right now, he wanted to get this personal dilemma about his love life off his mind so he could focus on what he had to do today.

...

The Fox clutched tightly to the device he held in his paw, now staring at the small hunk of orange and green plastic that was Judy's carrot pen. It really was a curious device, Nick thought, considering Judy was the last bunny to ascertain to a stereotype, and yet, carried around a fake carrot to use as a writing utensil...

He noticed too, there were small chips in some parts of the plastic, Judy having involuntarily nibbled on the device either in serious thought, or during a tired day dream, and she mistook the device as a real carrot.

Nick snickered silently...

He remembered the first time he'd seen her do it. It was actually when they had been momentarily moved to the night shift- which suited Nick fine... but as the sun went down, so did Judy... sometimes at least. It was quite the character and regime change for the two of them, and in the long run, had strengthened their bond as partners. But on one early morning at the end of a long night shift, a half asleep Judy had begun to nibble on her pen so much that she incidentally pulled the ink stick out and bit into it, causing the pen to leak, first onto her tongue and then onto the majority of her completed arrest reports for that night.

They both laughed about it now, but back then, almost two years ago, only Nick was the one laughing.

He was the only one laughing now too...

He did miss her…

Bringing himself (momentarily) back to reality, Nick lifted the pen to his nose, taking a small sniff. Even having been in one of his pockets all this time, during all this fighting, it still had a hint of the Rabbit's scent on it.

...

Nick smiled as he chuckled in his head.

It was just a pen... even with its secret recording device...

It was _just_ a pen.

How could a _pen_ give him so much comfort?

He had both asked and answered that question before. That pen, as random as an item it was... it was a symbol of his and Judy's relationship, their friendship, their trust and their devotion to each other. And not to mention, he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that bloody pen.

But he wouldn't want it any other way.

...

Nick held the pen in front of him, staring at it intently, thumb primed to hit the record button...

He knew the maximum recording time for the secret dictaphone was only 15 seconds of uninterrupted audio, meaning if he was going to say what he needed to say, he'd have to make it quick;

"Hey Carrots..." Nick began, but even though he knew what he wanted to say, "...err... errr, ehehe- uurgh..."

He still had no idea how to say it.

After a muffled groan, Nick lowered the pen to his side, sighing in discontent.

A lot of things came naturally to him, _a lot_ of things... but this just wasn't one of them. Nick had spent so much of his life bottling up his emotions, living by the message of his personal advice and never letting anything or anyone get to him, not even his close friends. There was only ever one exception to this rule, and that was his Mother... and in time, he started to hide his emotions from her too. Then there was no-one Nick would willingly open his heart to, at least not without coercing him into it...

At least, not until Judy came along.

Of course, Nick didn't always open up to her so easily, or in some instances, ever... but he had opened up to that Bunny more than he had done with anyone else.

So if he was going to say he loved her to her, even in such a recorded message, he had to be a bit more prepared...

Or at least, he tried to be;

"Hey Carrots- Fluff! Carrots- Judy! ... uurgghh," Nick groaned after tripping through each of his most used nicknames for his lapine partner, now dropping the pen to his side again as his other came up to face palm him at another botched attempt at recording his important message.

"Great start Nick, great start…" he chastised himself, "Urghh... what the hell is wrong with me?"

It was a valid question...

Jesting with each other's feelings- particularly for each other, was always something he and Judy had previously joked about; their to-and-fros of: ' _You know you love me_ '. It originally started as just an innocent phrase used as light-hearted banter between the two of them, specifically, whenever one of them put up with the other's quirks. As it seemed though, over time, secretly on both sides, the phrase began to ring true...

Now at the moment of confronting those feelings, Nick's nerves were getting the better of him, and he was becoming flustered. It was putting him on edge as it was something that rarely- or ever happened to him... and what didn't help, was that he was still terrified whether or not the love was unrequited, despite the reassurance from his Wolf companion that it wasn't. That's what irked him the most about this.

But he didn't let it get to him.

"Come on, you can do this." He mumbled to himself again as he brought the pen up to re-record his message.

Nick waited a moment, dropping his head first to compose himself before looking back up at the writing carrot he held in front of him, putting his usual slick smile on his muzzle;

"Hey! Carrots!" He began jokily, "You know... we see each other a lot, and... we know, err... a lot, about each other and I was thinking..." he stopped, and grumbled, "... urrgh... no..."

He dropped the pen to his side again, huffing in annoyance of himself.

He couldn't sail through this like he was trying to be _'cool'_ about it, or even as his usual jesting self... that wasn't the right way to do this. This was no joke. Nick knew he had to say it like he really meant it, to say it from the heart, so that Judy knew he meant it too...

He had to get it right.

Nick lifted a pen again;

"Hey Carrots... Judy..." he grimaced as he corrected himself, intending to use his partner's real name rather than his nickname for her, and had wasted precious time. He continued; "You know, how... we sometimes banter about how much we love each other? ... You know, when one of us says ' _you know you love me_ ' and the other says yes? ... Well, that's not exactly what we say, but that's pretty much what it is," he sighed as he paused. This was going terribly; "Point is, Judy... I just wanted to say that, even though we sometimes joke about our feelings- for each other... I, I think… I really do-"

A small whirring sound cut into Nick's speech: the sound of the plastic carrot's internal dictaphone rewinding as the available 15 seconds ran out.

He'd used up all the time just rambling;

"GGRRRHH... Why is this so hard!?" Nick growled in frustration, dropping the pen to his side again, though sort of praised the interruption as he had a chance to retry making his message.

"Suck it up Nick... come on," he motivated himself, "Don't let it get to you, don't let it... get to..." He sighed heavily, "… you..."

Nick knew that was exactly the problem… in both ways. His personal mantra was both helping and hindering him right now. In a way, it was finally giving him the courage to really speak his mind about his feelings, even if the only thing that would hear it right now was a plastic carrot. But on the other paw, the situation of this subject was so nerve-racking, and quite simply, terrifying, that in order to not let those feelings get the better of him, Nick was persistently hiding them with jokes, his sarcasm and his ramblings… like he would do with any other situation that made him feel the same.

Nick sighed heavily again, slipping down the wall he was leaning against onto his rear, and wrapping his tail over his outstretched feet, all while he continued to stare at the writing carrot.

Following his own advice wasn't the issue… it was the way he was following it that was. He would have to change that, because there was no other way he'd be able to get through this. He just had to let all those troubles and worries go. He had to not let them get to him.

Judy Hopps was the most important mammal in the world to him, and he needed to tell her that.

That was what he had to do... to just say how he felt openly, without any jokes, without getting nervous, and without stammering through it…

The lone Red Fox took a deep breath, inhaling as he built up his façade of seriousness, behind which was soul who was about to pour his heart out, before he soon exhaled.

He was ready now-

But not before one last bout of self-assured snarkiness;

"Here goes nothing…"

Now, for the final time, Nick lifted the pen in front of him up to his muzzle, and pressed record;

* * *

" _Hey Judy… sorry if this seems, sudden… but I really don't know how else to say this, and it's taken me four times already just to record it because I'm honestly… terrified, of what you'll say back. So, I'm just going to come out and say it: I love you… Judy Hopps, I love yo-"_

The message cut off as the fifteen second recording timed out…

And Judy was left speechless, still staring wide eyed at the pen in shock.

Nick loved her.

He _really_ did love her.

A surprised smile crept upon her muzzle, as she shed a joyful tear, blinking hard to make the salty drip fall from her eye and down the side of her muzzle.

For a long time, she had had an inkling, but was never really sure. For the three years she had known him, her best friend had always been a bit of an enigma with his feelings… never really out rightly showing them and mostly hiding them with his usual snarky charm.

But as Judy thought back, even at the worst of times, Nick had always been there for her; making her laugh if she was annoyed, comforting her if she was upset… or caring for her if she was hurt or unwell…

She always remembered one time, during her and Nick's first year on the Force together, when something of the sort did happen. It was after wrapping up a case in Tundratown, she suddenly came down with Mammalian Flu, immediately taking her off active duty for at least two weeks… much to her annoyance. In that time, not only did Nick insist on taking off those two weeks to look after her, he even travelled all the way to Bunnyburrow and back in a day to get some of the special ' _Hopps Recipe_ ' vegetable soup Judy always had when she was sick at home, as not all the ingredients could be found in the city. Despite the rather rattled looks Nick got from Stu and Bonnie when he appeared at their front door, they recognised who he was and quickly warmed up to helping him after explaining he was there for the sole purpose of helping their daughter get better. The whole selfless act had practically cemented Stu and Bonnie's approval of the Fox, and the close (professional) relationship he had with their daughter… and it happened all while Judy was on bedrest. She had been so overwhelmed with gratitude when Nick came to her bedside with a warm bowl of that soup she promised to make it up to him…

And consequently, that's exactly what happened… because almost the same day Judy was feeling much better, Nick got the flu too. Then it was her turn to help him get better.

Even before then, Judy knew already that Nick cared about her, but it was that period of illness that really showed her how much he did, regardless of it being a rather horrible experience for her. It was the first time that thought inside her head had appeared: if Nick liked her more than any normal friend would… or even if she liked him more than any normal friend would.

As she thought back to all the banter they had shared since becoming partners, they had always joked about their feelings. Over time, and at the appropriate moments as they secretly grew, that harmless banter turned into attempts to try to gauge a reaction from the Fox, and vice versa… only, nothing ever really came out of it, other than more friendly banter, turned hilariously awkward silence.

And now, all at once, after this terrible, terrible day, after both thinking they might have lost each other forever… it finally happened…

A genuine heartfelt confession:

" _I love you, Judy Hopps…_ "

The words resonated in her mind, flushing a feeling of devout warmth and happiness through her at the confirmation of that thought that had lingered in her mind for so long.

Nick loved her…

…

And yet, Judy still found herself struggling to even think of saying anything back;

"Nick…" she stuttered, "I-"

Judy stopped speaking when she looked back at him…

In that singular moment, all that feeling of happiness died, replaced with woeful worry. The warmth turned cold, enveloping her completely except for a single scorching stab of ultimate fear in her chest when Judy came back to reality, and remembered what had happened during the last few minutes of this terrible day.

She froze to the spot, petrified at the sight as she instantly feared the worst:

Nick's eyes were closed, and he didn't stir at all.

"Nick?" Judy uttered out to him, that woeful worry tracing the back of her voice.

She broke free from her fearful stiffness, and reached out to him, nudging him lightly, as well as gently caressing his cheek again to try and force the Fox to stir-

But still, Nick made no reaction to her.

The worst had appeared to come true

"No…" Judy stammered, her breath quickening as she began to panic, "No!"

Hurriedly, and not letting her fear overwhelm her, Judy leaned her head down, keeping her good right ear level with Nick's muzzle…

No warmth, no noise, nor ruffled fur from moving air.

No inhale.

No exhale.

Judy immediately lifted her head back up, the fear now clear on her face: wide watering eyes, twitching nose, trembling lips, hurried breaths. She was about to scream out for help when she looked behind her down the bridge to see Bogo and Fang approaching after finally forcing themselves to move.

As the Wolf and Buffalo reached the scene, Judy distressfully shouted to them both;

"He's not breathing!"

Fang sprinted the rest of the way, stumbling slightly before he reached the scene, and instantly dropped to his knees. He gently placed his good left paw to the Fox's neck, and only after a moment he muttered anxiously;

"His pulse is faint,"

"But- his vest stopped the bullets! And th- that stab wound wouldn't _kill_ him!" Judy exclaimed, stuttering as she spoke, "Is it the blood loss?"

"Blunt trauma to the chest-" Bogo interjected, acquiring the Rabbit and Wolf's attention as he assessed the situation himself, and immediately taking command as was necessary; "He's in cardiac arrest… Hopps, CPR now! Fangmeyer, find something from the debris to use as some shelter from the rain," Bogo ordered, "I'll be back in a moment."

The Buffalo turned away instantly, Judy and Fang watching him go for a second when they saw him charging over towards the parked SWAT APC he drove in.

Quickly, they turned away and stared at each other, as Fang asked;

"You know what to do right?"

Judy nodded before responding;

"Thirty compressions, two breaths,"

Fang nodded in agreement, and then stood back up, looking around before rushing off to find something large and robust enough amongst the vehicle wreckages to shelter them.

Judy watched him go for a moment before turning her attention back to the lifeless Fox, exposed on the ground.

Just the sight of him being like this still terrified the Bunny to her core. It wasn't like if he was asleep… Judy had seen Nick asleep before and she knew what it looked like. In this instance his face was just blank, completely expressionless as his maw hung loosely open, exposing his sharp canines.

She had to focus. Not panic.

Nick was dying, and with each passing second his odds of survival were slipping…

And Judy _refused_ to lose him now.


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

 ** _'Three Simple Words – Part 2: Loss'_**

* * *

The tone change of the day had hit Judy like a hurtling brick to the face. One moment she was overjoyed to find out that Nick really did love her as she loved him, and the next she was distressed and panicking that Nick was now, ever so slowly leaving this world for good, with her also fretting she would never get the chance to say the same words back to him.

But panicking was the last thing she could afford to do now, no matter how agitated her head was…

Judy had to focus.

She knew what to do.

She thought way back to her time in the academy. It was a necessary requirement for all ZPD Officers to have Life Saving training, as it was always a possibility they would have to perform CPR to save the life of another mammal, no matter the species, gender or age. As such, this was the same reason why every Officer was encouraged to attend the subsequent refresher class once a year so it was always fresh in their heads.

For Judy, it was certainly fresh in her head now, even though she shared the same sentiment of every other Officer in the Police; that they would hope to go their whole careers and not have to use this knowledge in practice.

For some of course, that wasn't always the case…

And now Judy was among them… not only forced to use it to save a life, but of the life of her partner, her best friend, and the mammal she'd fallen in love with.

Having already removed his dented bulletproof vest earlier, the only thing left covering Nick's chest was the drenched undershirt of his SWAT gear, which was simply the same type of blue button shirt of his Police uniform that he always wore to work, only this time, without his tie on, and the sleeves rolled back to just above his elbows.

The ZPD SWAT Department didn't have any particular regulation about what clothing to wear underneath tactical gear, as long as it _fit_ underneath the tactical gear. As such, most or all SWAT Officers just wore their usual uniform, as it was comfortable, flexible, easily washable, and usually, easily replaceable should it become ripped or torn during combat…

Which was a good thing too, considering Nick's shirt was practically in rags with tears and holes in several places, as well as scorch marks and drenched wet, not only with rainwater, but in parts also drenched and dyed red with his blood.

Although, if Judy didn't hurry, it wouldn't matter if Nick's uniform needed replacing… because there would be nobody left to wear it.

…

Acting fast, Judy gripped the collar of Nick's shirt and pulled downwards, carefully yet forcefully enough to rip open the buttoned front from top to bottom, exposing his bare white furred chest…

It hadn't been the first time Judy had seen Nick shirtless. He was particularly liberal in that sense when he would walk out of the Precinct locker room only half dressed, or whenever he answered the door to his apartment on the earliest of starts when Judy would meet him before going to the Precinct. Nick was a mammal who always described it as being 'comfortable in his own fur', despite that idiom meaning something completely different… plus, Judy knew he did it on purpose to tease her anyway.

In this situation though, Judy took no notice. She didn't want this morning to be the last of those days.

So she went to work:

Judy placed her paws together, one over the other firmly just below Nick's ribcage. After taking a second to compose herself and catch her nervous breath, she began to count the compressions, pressing down with each count;

"One, two, three, four, five, six…" the rest of the numbers turned into inaudible murmurs, but Judy persisted, counting in her head until the thirtieth compression.

Next was the bit she was most anxious about: the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation… but if it meant saving Nick's life, Judy would do it unquestionably. The only hesitation she had was she had hoped that the first time they would press their lips together it would be a gesture of love between them… not to literally breathe the life back into him.

Judy leaned over him, gently tilting Nick's head backwards to clearly open his airway. His mouth opened slightly wider as a result, but still small enough for Judy to effectively perform mouth-to-mouth.

She gently pinched his nose closed as she closed her eyes, leaned down, and placed her lips over his-

She hadn't imagined they could be so cold already.

It didn't fill her with much hope.

Nevertheless, Judy blew hard, filling Nick's lungs with the necessary oxygen to keep him alive long enough to get proper treatment.

It wasn't like in the movies. Judy knew that CPR alone wouldn't revive him. They needed a defibrillator for that. It instantly clicked in her head that that was where Bogo had gone... because Judy also knew that all ZPD vehicles were supplied with an AED for such emergencies.

Until then though, Judy continued resuscitating her partner, turning to her right to breathe in herself before turning back to the Fox to give him another kiss of life…

And then… rinse, repeat:

Thirty compressions.

Two breaths.

Thirty compressions.

Two breaths.

…

Despite what she knew as a fact, Judy wished this was just a hustle and Nick was faking… she really, really wished it was. But she knew it wasn't. And with each time she pressed down onto Nick's chest she was begging that he would suddenly cough back to life, breathe in, open his eyes and smile at her…

That typical sly smile of his that she had so grown to love.

She wanted to see it again.

She wanted to see those gleaming emerald eyes again.

She even wanted to hear any one of his jokes again… good or bad.

But even though Nick's body jerked ever so slightly from the force of each one of Judy's vigorous compressions, he still remained unmoved and failed to begin breathing again.

It forced Judy to remember way back when she and Nick started their SWAT training together, cursing herself that if they hadn't did it they wouldn't be here, and Nick wouldn't be dying in front of her.

Joining SWAT hadn't been the direction Judy had really saw her career taking. She had imagined moving up to Detective, then maybe Sergeant, and further up in command, but not necessarily all the way to the level of Chief of Police. The choice to take up the challenge of joining the SWAT Team was a mutual decision between both her and Nick after a rather grave event when their police cruiser suddenly came under fire when responding to a botched bank robbery. They both got lucky that day, and both of them knew it. The police academy could teach you how to aim and shoot, but not when the mammals you were shooting at had bigger guns, much more ammunition, and nothing to lose. It was after that day that Judy and Nick sought out to also became the first Rabbit and Fox to join the SWAT Team, and become fully fledged SWAT Officers.

It hadn't been easy either, as Judy remembered. She and Nick practically had to go through a completely separate training regime, considering their smaller size. They even came under the scrutiny of their instructor in comparison to the other trainees- not because he didn't like them… but because of their unlikely survival when it came to the (hopefully not, but) very possible event they would be shot. Even with a full level 3 set of body armour, despite being able to stop most bullet calibres in their tracks, the kinetic energy behind it would still hurt, or even kill smaller mammals due to blunt force trauma…

And that was exactly what had happened: combination of Nick's smaller size, the powerful handgun, large pistol cartridge, and suffering three consecutive gunshots at point-blank range.

It was a miracle Nick had survived it in the first place.

…

As Judy continued to resuscitate her partner, with each set of compressions she had shot her head up at least once to look where Fang and Bogo were, just to check that they hadn't abandoned her. Not that she thought they would even consider the thought of it... but right now Judy's mind was racing with panic and procedure both; an odd combination that allowed the stupidest things to cross her mind even when she was still thinking rationally.

Despite this, it had all clicked in Judy's head anyway: Bogo had gone to retrieve the defibrillator from the APC to revive Nick... but they couldn't use it in the wet, and that was near impossible due to the light rainfall still around them. The next best thing was to shield them from the rain, which was exactly what Fang was doing; to find something amongst the vehicle debris to create a makeshift shelter, even if the rain now came down with much less vigour than it had previously.

No matter what sort of life and death scenario it was... water and electricity don't mix.

But even so, like earlier, they weren't going to be stopped by the weather.

Only, right now, Judy was frustrated to why Bogo and Fang were taking so long... despite it having not even been a whole minute since they left. Every second that passed for Judy was torturous. That heavy weight of grief returning from much earlier in the day, back in the MCC when Bogo had told her they had lost contact with the whole team, including Nick... only now it was much, much worse as she leaned over the stricken Red Fox, trying desperately to save his life...

Judy had just started her third set of compressions when Bogo returned, carrying a large red case in one hoof emblazoned with a white cross on it: the medkit... while in his other hoof he carried another, smaller case, also coloured red, but was instead emblazoned with a white heart on it, with a red lightning bolt striking through the centre: the AED.

"I managed to get a 10-52 to command," Bogo said openly, catching Judy's attention as he reached the scene, and gently placed both cases on the ground next to her…

 _10-52_ … It clicked in Judy's head: _Ambulance Needed._ Bogo immediately confirmed the memory of learning her Police codes to be correct:

"They're sending an ambulance," the Buffalo continued, "but with the chaos of this storm they couldn't give an ETA-"

Judy didn't respond, only continued giving Nick CPR, as at that same time, Fang also returned, dragging with him the dismembered door of the LAPV that Bogo had torn off and used as a weapon against the Panther earlier. The poor Wolf collapsed from his injured leg that was previously trapped in the same vehicle as he stopped to place the door down, panting heavily from his open maw and letting out minor inaudible whines when he arrived, both from the exhaustion and physical stress of moving the heavy object.

He didn't go unnoticed to Bogo, remembering that Fang had been through much more exertion today than he or Judy had put together. He decided to relieve the Wolf of anymore exertion, for his sake.

Bogo rushed to his aid, helping him up, speaking out his name as a verbal showing of his concern;

"Jonathan-"

"I'm fine, sir," the Wolf quickly spoke back, "I can manage,"

"I'll handle the shelter, you unpack the defibrillator," Bogo ordered the Wolf, pointing to the red box containing the AED, "but try to keep it dry as you can,"

Fang nodded in response, trundling over to the case with the red and white heart on it. As he dropped to his knees, he leaned over the box as he unclasped the top, shielding most of the light rain from falling upon it with his own back as he opened it, and began to unpack the defibrillator.

As he did so, Fang stole a glance at the dying Fox next to him, and then at the Bunny giving CPR, as Judy now started her fourth set of compressions. She looked up for an instant, both the Rabbit and Wolf sharing a glance of trepidation of their fallen comrade and friend…

What Fang also noticed, even with only the half second glance he had of them… what he noticed, was the dread in Judy's eyes.

He knew what sort of relationship she and Nick had. Heck… earlier he'd pretty much told Nick to just grit his teeth and tell the doe how he felt about her, and Fang was certain (along with almost every other Officer at Precinct 1) that the feeling was mutual. That dread he saw in the Rabbit's eyes, even for half a second, confirmed that to be true. Fang couldn't imagine what was tearing through Judy's mind right now, as she was literally trying to bring the mammal she loved back to life.

…

Meanwhile, Bogo proceeded in building the makeshift shelter. After helping the Wolf, he stood up straight, eyeing for anything suitable that was close by so it required minimal moving; it didn't take long to decide on two things to prop the LAPV's dismembered door up with.

The Buffalo thundered only slightly down the bridge, stepping up to the semi-truck's crumpled battering ram. Bogo moved to the opposite side, clamped his hoofs on the cold, wet metal and pushed firmly forward, forcing the large piece of solid debris to move across the sodden tarmac from the bovine's strength, which Bogo continued to push until it was much closer to the scene.

It was certainly easier than the last thing he had to force across the bridge, also considering Bogo was still under the influence of the residual effects of using the Nighthowler inhaler only minutes before.

As soon as the ram was in position, Bogo eyed the next piece of wreckage he intended to move: the mangled remains of the semi-truck cab itself.

It was only at this moment he became a little perplexed at how Nick, Judy and Fang had survived such a terrible traffic collision. But that was a fact he knew there was no point in pondering about… he was sure the three of them couldn't even begin to explain how they survived it.

Instead, he focussed on what needed to be done, and clamped his hoofs on the warped metal of the truck cab, and dragging its mangled remains towards the scene of the fallen Fox.

…

Judy cringed at the sound of the scraping metal, but didn't let it distract her from giving CPR as she flattened her ears against her head and down her back. She felt a sharp sting come from her left ear, remembering how she had felt the high powered, large calibre bullet graze her. It just made her more woeful in the moment, knowing that Nick had saved her from a very sudden and violent death, only to suffer through his own. Judy had certainly felt her own pain today, but she couldn't imagine what Nick had been through himself… and now, she was straining to save him, and return the favour he had given her-

"Hopps."

The mention of her name immediately dragged her away from her rueful thoughts.

Judy looked up, having not even noticed Bogo was now beside her and had opened up the larger red case that was the APC's medkit.

She watched as Bogo pulled out what looked like a rolled up towel to her, but was instead a thick bandage big enough to wrap the entirety of an elephant's arm.

"I'll lift him up, you roll this out beneath him," Bogo ordered.

Judy nodded, taking the gargantuan roll of bandage from her Commanding Officer, and placed it on the wet asphalt ready to roll it out and create a barrier between the vulpine and the water still not absorbed into the road.

Then, with an almost unnatural tender Judy had never seen before, Bogo slowly pushed his hoofs underneath the lifeless Fox until Nick was resting across his forearms, and then gently lifted him up. Nick's left arm fell limp to his side, as well as his tail dangled motionlessly when Bogo lifted him into the air high enough for Judy to roll out the huge gauze dressing beneath.

As she did so, pushing the roll firmly for it to unravel, Judy stole a glance at the Chief's face…

And she was going to remember what she saw for the rest of her life.

It wasn't either one of the usual two expressions she had ever seen on the Buffalo's face before: either his usual stoic stone expression he always wore, or his scorching stare that could probably cause any mammal to spontaneously combust when he was giving an administrative scolding…

No… it was a genuine look of fear and concern.

And Judy knew why…

Between her and Bogo, they shared a mutual understanding of efficiency, devotion and professionalism in their job. As long as she didn't overwork herself (which happened more often than Judy would let on to him) Bogo was usually very lenient and respectful of her, having more than exceeded his expectations since she came to the Precinct as a new recruit three years ago.

Bogo's association with Nick however, was far more… _chaotic_. From his first day on the Force, Nick had always tested how far he could annoy the Buffalo with his sarcastic wit, partly as a retaliation of the comments he overheard and had shared with the Buffalo when they first met, and partly just because, that's who Nick was. It had seen him been put on parking duty several times just for a simple daily punishment, and on a couple of times when Nick _had_ taken it too far, Bogo had threatened to suspend him. Those were an eye opener to Nick that he should probably tone it down when being himself around his boss, but still never stirred him to change completely, despite Judy trying to keep him in-line.

However, over time, rather unexpectedly, Bogo seemed to take the principle of: ' _if you can't beat them, join them_ ' and instead (at the appropriate times) reciprocated Nick's humour, and on rare occasion successfully beating the Fox at his own game... the first time of which had left Nick drop- jawed and speechless at the smug smile on Bogo's face as all the other Officer's in the morning briefing (including Judy) sat their laughing at him, much to his embarrassment.

Nick took it well in stride though, and saw it as a challenging game that after that day, Bogo was now willing to play. It started a friendly, but unspoken bond between the two mammals, one which both of them seemed to like- as long as it didn't get in the way of working efficiently in Bogo's case. He also found it as an effective way to motivate the Fox, as well as taking some of the pressure and stress off of Judy when in his office, and as well, to find a meaningful and personal connection with him… like Bogo had done so with many of his Officers, including Judy.

So she knew- if it hadn't been prevalent enough today already in his speech and actions… because despite his usual verbal stance on claiming he didn't care, deep down, the truth was...

Bogo _really_ did care.

It still showed with the tenderness of his motion when he brought Nick back down to the ground once Judy had rolled out the bandage. The thick gauze dressing was big enough it practically made a bed for the Fox… not enough to get a good night's sleep, but enough to shield him from the cold wet ground underneath.

Judy was just about to continue CPR when Bogo handed her a bundle of cloth, as well as another much smaller bandage roll, and an aerosol can that Judy recognised was the infamous ' _Stinger'_ antiseptic spray that each medkit carried for quick temporary wound closures until proper medical treatment could be reached.

"Dry his chest off… as much as possible, and seal that wound," Bogo ordered her.

Once again, Judy only nodded in reply, taking the items from the Buffalo.

She turned back to the Fox, her mind still racing with panic and procedure. She focused only on what Bogo told her to do… so leaned over, and gently started wiping the cloth across the bare fur of Nick's exposed chest, swiftly drying off the worst of the wet from the heavy rain earlier. The cloth quickly became damp with the fallen rainwater, which Judy then used to dampen around the blood stained area of russet fur from the stab wound in Nick's side, taking away the worst of the blood. Judy began to feel a little woozy as the cloth began turning red- not because she couldn't handle the sight of blood… she had already inspected her earlier gunshot wound and seen it now it was worsened (and still left untreated to this moment) and she didn't feel woozy at the sight of _her own_ blood. It's the fact that it was Nick's blood she was cleaning up that she felt uneasy… and while a small puncture wound it was, Judy knew a simple gauze dressing wouldn't be enough to seal it; Nick would need stitches at least. But right now, everything was a temporary measure… they weren't doctors after all, only first aid certified as every law enforcement officer was expected to be in Zootopia.

Judy cursed the ambulance Bogo had requested for not being here yet, despite being under a minute since he radioed for it... every second mattered, and each of those seconds was torturous with horrible thoughts. Would Nick even wake up if the defibrillator revived him? What if he's suffered brain damage? Would he ever be the same again? What if he still succumbed to all his other injuries? What if he had lost too much blood already? What if this was all for nothing? What if he didn't make it?-

What if it was already too late?

Judy's paw shook till the moment she dropped the now blood stained cloth with all these questions shooting through her head. She reached over to the antiseptic spray can, knocking it over with a clang on the ground when her paw missed the easy grab and bashed into it. Her small blunder forced her to let out an audible whimper that she was sure Bogo and Fang had heard, trying to suppress herself from bursting into tears as a single one trickled from her left eye. She had to keep it together… and she would. For Nick's sake.

He _was_ going to make it.

Judy swiftly wiped her tear away and picked up the antiseptic aerosol. Quickly and efficiently, like a well-oiled machine, she doused Nick's stab wound with a more than generous amount of the disinfectant spray, before ripping a substantially large amount of the roll of gauze and applied it to the injury. It wouldn't stay there on its own, so Judy quickly reached over to the medkit, trying to find the special semi-adhesive tape for attaching dressings to fur. It took only a little rummaging to find a small roll which Judy swiftly pulled and bit off several strips to firmly attach the bandage against Nick's stab wound.

It was only after when putting the tape back that Judy noticed that she was now sheltered from the rain, and had also only just realised the slightly lesser light from the precarious but solid structure that had been built over her head…

While she had been cleaning and dressing Nick's stab wound, Bogo had stood back up, went over to pick up the LAPV's ripped door, and simply propped it up to bridge the gap between the crumpled battering ram and mangled cab of the crashed semi-truck, effectively creating the makeshift shelter. It was crude… obviously, but was substantially big enough to shelter Nick and Judy, though Fang could only partly shelter himself and Bogo could only just peek his head in.

Now silently, having dealt with Nick's stab wound, Judy just kept performing the necessary CPR, taking no notice of the lessened light, and certainly not of the rain that was now pattering onto the metal above her.

Now all they needed was the defibrillator…

"Fangmeyer?-"

"Done," the Wolf instantly replied, "Just need to attach the electrodes,"

Fang carefully moved the case containing the AED until it was underneath the makeshift metal shelter, shielding the electrical device from the rain. It was all set and ready to go… and Fang was thankful that he did at least remember how to set up the device from his life saving classes, in comparison to what he couldn't remember from his EOD training. It did help that there were written instructions on the defibrillator itself to follow as well.

"Here," Fang uttered, reaching into the kit and handing one of the electrode pads to Judy, while he held the other.

The diagram on the special adhesive pad was very simple and easy to follow. The defibrillator kit had to account for every variable of mammal that it would be used on, the main issue here being size. Considering their size, the diagram on these set of pads was of a generic line drawing of some sort of small canine. It was impossible to tell which species exactly, but it likely was indeed to be a red fox as they were classed as one of the largest species of 'small mammals'.

Judy took the pad Fang had given her, checking the diagram carefully. She had taken the first pad, which instructed her to attach it just below Nick's shoulder, directly onto the centre right of his chest. Meanwhile, Fang had the other pad, instructing him to attach it to the left side of Nick's ribcage, beneath his arm, only slightly above the dressing Judy had put over the Fox's stab wound.

Simultaneously, both Judy and Fang carefully attached the pads to the Fox, making sure they were firmly secure. They were made of a similar adhesive to the surgical tape Judy had attached the dressing to Nick's wound, except a bit more advanced, as the embedded electrodes where tipped with tiny spikes so they would reach the skin, negating the need for fur to be shaved off so defibrillation could take place. It had become the standard for Zootopia's medical industry, as shaving off fur- particularly in winter months, was an unnecessarily difficult task that could be avoided, and most importantly got in the way of saving a mammal's life. That wasn't the case anymore though. The only reason the AED still contained a grooming kit was if the fur was too thick the electrodes wouldn't reach the skin, and would still need to be shaved short.

Luckily Nick's chest fur was quite thin at the moment for this time of year, and was clear the electrodes were well attached as the AED's display immediately came to life, quickly picking up Nick's fading heart beat with the inbuilt heart monitor.

There was some relief that his heart was still beating… but the rhythm line was inconsistent. Occasionally it spiked up higher than it should, while others it barely made a mound and even entered a short flat-line, until it spiked again.

Fang looked intently at the AED, and after a short while of watching the ECG display, the device began making an electrical whirring sound as the inbuilt battery began charging up the capacitor. A moment later the display changed as it said:

* * *

 _Analysing Rhythm..._

 _Shock Advised._

* * *

"Stay back, stay back!" Fang directed, waving his paw for Judy to move away from the Fox.

As she did move away till she was at least a couple of feet away from Nick, Fang placed a single digit of his left paw above the shock button on the AED… cringing to himself as the next moment he brought his finger down to press it-

In an instant, Fang, Judy and Bogo all watched as Nick's body appeared to tense up and his chest lift slightly upwards as several hundred volts of electricity coursed through his chest to try and stabilise his heartbeat… and became relaxed again barely a second after.

When he didn't inhale though, the AED display analysed the Fox's heart rhythm again, before going on to say:

* * *

 _Continue CPR._

* * *

Fang said it out loud for Judy and Bogo to hear;

"CPR…"

The Wolf leaned forward, offering to take over from the exhausted Bunny, asking Judy;

"You want me t-"

"No!" Judy snapped, almost completely swatting Fang's paw away as she placed both her own together again, just below Nick's ribcage, beginning again to count the compressions;

"One, two, three, four…"

The Bunny's mumbling turned inaudible again as Judy continued to count in her head… and all the Wolf and Buffalo could do was watch, and wait.

Fang was taken aback by the Rabbit's outburst, having only been trying to help her… but he understood exactly why Judy had snapped at him. She felt guilty for what had happened. That the reason Nick, the mammal she loved, was lying here dying was all her fault… and she felt she needed to redeem herself. Fang knew this, but it wasn't good for her. Judy was only exhausting herself and pinning so much stress and pressure that she didn't need. He may have one maimed paw but Fang knew he could still help her, and in turn help Nick by allowing him to take over the resuscitation…

Because the truth was, this whole situation made Fang feel useless. He felt like this was his fault too... considering he'd promised to watch Nick's back for him and failed. He didn't want to see this day end like this, by losing a friend, and a good friend too… and for Judy's sake, to not end the day with a broken heart. He wanted to see the Fox and the Bunny get the happy ending they deserved, because, having spent enough time with both of them today and prior to this day, and after his little heart-to-heart with the Fox, he probably knew it better than anyone that Nick and Judy were perfect for each other.

He and almost every officer in Precinct 1 knew it... even Bogo.

That thought made the Wolf steal a glance at his Commanding Officer, just as Bogo turned to glare up the length of the bridge, clearly hoping to see some flashing red and blue lights approaching… only none were yet to come.

Fang just turned back to staring at the display of the AED, which had now gone back to showing Nick's heart rhythm line on the ECG, with a timer beneath indicating how long to continue the CPR.

Fang watched the timer go for two tortuous minutes, while Judy continued to vigorously resuscitate her partner, and Bogo just glared.

Neither of them said a word…

At least not until the two minutes were up and the AED's display now read:

* * *

 _Stop CPR. Analysing…_

* * *

"Stop, stop…" Fang stuttered to Judy, motioning with his paw to tell her to move.

Judy obeyed, moving cautiously away from Nick again, while at the sound of Fang's voice, Bogo turned his attention back to the scene.

Fang still stared at the display, occasionally glancing over at the lifeless Fox as the AED analysed his heart rhythm, and feeling the stares from both the Bunny and the Buffalo present…

Impatience swiftly caught Judy's vocal chords;

"Fang?-"

"Just wait!" the Wolf snapped, unintentionally, before changing to mumbling at the device, "Come on, do something…"

The very second after, the device whirred with another electrical hum as the capacitor charged itself up, and the display changed to say:

* * *

 _Analysing Rhythm..._

 _Shock Advised._

* * *

Fang moved his good left paw over the shock button;

"Clear!"

And slammed onto it-

Like before, Nick's body tensed up as another few hundred volts of electricity coursed through is heart, and he quickly came to relax again. Fang, Judy and Bogo could only watch as the defibrillator worked for that seemingly endless second, with each of them holding onto hope that it would stir the Fox to breathe again…

But it didn't. Nick still remained lifeless.

Fang looked back at the AED display, which once again changed to say:

* * *

 _Continue CPR._

* * *

Judy was looking at the Wolf raptly, her eyes wide in waiting and still full of fear and worry. It only took Fang's small nod at her to indicate what she needed to do… and she swiftly continued to resuscitate her partner.

…

Thirty compressions.

Two breaths.

…

Rinse. Repeat.

It went on for another two torturous minutes.

Another shock.

…

Then another two minutes.

…

Time was passing, and hope was fading.

Judy had been giving it her all… but Nick still showed no signs of coming back to her. In the short time it had been since she found out he loved her from his recorded message, his fur had lost its usual shine, the skin beneath grown pale, and he'd grown so cold and limp. Several times Judy had to pause to wipe a tear away from trickling down her cheek at the ever-growing truth before her…

But she still retained that glimmer of hope, burning strong in the darkness… she couldn't afford to lose it.

At least she tried to… until after she finished the last set of compressions.

…

Fang checked the AED's display, once again motioning for Judy to back away as the device analysed Nick's heart rhythm.

The torturous seconds ticked by… until the display said:

* * *

 _Analysing Rhythm..._

 _No Shock Advised._

* * *

Fang lowered his brow and narrowed his eyes, confusion setting in alongside his worry as he silently mouthed the word 'what?' to himself in his head. That confusion remained until a moment later, when the AED's display went back to the ECG showing Nick's heartbeat rhythm…

Which was now only a long and motionless flat line, along with the words:

* * *

 _No Rhythm._

* * *

Fang froze to the spot as he just stared aimlessly, wide eyed at the display.

There was no shock advised because there was nothing left to shock. Nick's heart rhythm was in asystole, which meant-

"What?" Judy uttered as she grew impatient of the Wolf doing nothing before raising her voice, "WHAT!?"

…

Nick was gone.

And Fang would now have to tell Judy that.

He lifted his head to look at her, but he immediately darted his eyesight downwards away, staring emptily at the ground. He could barely bring himself to look at the Bunny, let alone tell her the truth. Fang gently shook his head;

"Judy… I'm sorry…" he stuttered softly.

The Rabbit froze once the words pierced her ears as they fell behind her head.

Hearing as well, Bogo huffed dismally, closing his eyes and solemnly lowering his head in respect. Fang more or less did the same; he still couldn't look at Judy, just kept his head bowed and stared aimlessly at the ground.

Judy glanced between them, a frustrated frown forming across her muzzle, becoming furious that Fang and Bogo were just giving up. Judy shook her head defiantly, refusing to believe it while making a long blink to force the water from her eyes and scrunching her face up. She wouldn't be deterred, and she wouldn't give up. She leaned over the lifeless Fox again, silently begging in her head and still telling herself that Nick was going to make it as she continued to give CPR.

She _wasn't_ going to lose him.

Not like this.

Not today.

…

Bogo watched her, admiring her resolve but also pitying the futility of her actions. He knew there was still the slightest chance they could still save Nick… but they weren't doctors. All they had to paw and hoof was a medkit meant for treating minor traumas by temporarily closing wounds and bandaging injured limbs, and an automated defibrillator as a last resort… and if that failed like it had, then-

Bogo shook his head. It was beyond their capabilities. Only trained doctors or paramedics could save the Fox now, and they needed the ambulance here to do it.

And as Bogo turned to stare once more up the bridge towards the city, there was still no indication of it arriving anytime soon.

He turned back to watching the Rabbit resuscitate the Fox, speaking out to her softly;

"Hopps-"

"WHERE IS THAT DAMN AMBULANCE!?" Judy roared.

Her outburst actually made Bogo flinch and silence him… Bogo, of all mammals, as Judy had appeared to read his mind about the absent ambulance. It was one of the rarest moments of his life when Bogo's mind drew a blank on what to do in this moment. He didn't respond, because he didn't know what to say.

They had done all they could…

But despite her exhaustion, Judy still continued to give Nick CPR…

Thirty compression to two breaths.

She would sooner collapse and die of exhaustion herself before giving up trying to save him.

…

But as time went by, the Fox remained motionless, the AED remained silent, still showing the motionless line on the ECG, and the ambulance still failed to arrive.

And it became clear that Judy would just have to accept the truth.

Bogo huffed soundlessly, as he spoke out to her again;

"Hopps…"

"No." Judy shot back angrily, knowing what he wasn't going say.

"Hopps-"

"NO!" She screamed back, shaking her head as the tears began to well up in her eyes, threatening to break the dam of stubbornness she was holding them back with.

…

"Judy..."

Bogo hesitated, having changed to using her first name to soften the blow, as he knew what he was about to say to the usually strong and stubborn Bunny would crush her completely...

But it was only the undeniable truth;

"He's gone Judy... let him go."

…

No words came from her…

It was in that moment that Judy's usual wall of enduring determination came crumbling down, brutally destroyed from the undeniable truth that the mammal she cared about most of all, the Fox that became her best friend, the Fox she had grown to love, _her_ Fox… Nicholas Wilde… was dead. It broke her completely, letting out the woes and worries she'd been hiding, falling into a deep dark pit of grief and despair, made audible by her sobs and wails.

Tears streamed from the Rabbit's eyes with the same tenacity as the earlier storm as Judy practically collapsed next to the Fox, leaving her arm draped over him as she cried into his shoulder, hearing for herself the silence from Nick's chest. She could still feel his silky soft fur tickling against her own as she leaned against him. Her nose twitched and her lips trembled, letting out gasps and cries as streaks of salty water flowed from her eyes and dripped onto the Fox's russet fur.

Judy couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. She still begged for a miracle to happen, that all of a sudden Nick would awake and embrace her lovingly and affectionately just like she desired. She had always had her little glimmer of hope… a little flame flickering defiantly in the darkness. But that little fire had burned out now. And it wasn't coming back.

Nick was gone, and Judy felt like part of her had died with him.

…

The two other mammals present turned away, not being able to bear the sight of the heartbroken Bunny. However, it was still impossible not to hear her shrill sobs, as they seemed to echo all around them.

Fang stood up and moved away, back underneath the shivering rain still falling all around. He couldn't stay still, and so went pacing up and down on the spot, limping on his injured leg across the sodden asphalt of the bridge… all the way until he couldn't bear to keep it hidden;

"RRRAAHHRRR!" He growled loudly, echoing around him as he let out the anger, despair and sadness with a swift kick of his good leg, sending a small piece of littering debris from the vehicle crashes hurtling off the bridge to the waters below.

He dropped down to his rear, sat firmly on the ground, leaning forward with his tail draped motionlessly behind him, and paying no attention to the dull pain he now had in his foot-paw, as he stared worthlessly up the length of the bridge, still fuming with depressive rage.

…

Whereas, Bogo…

Bogo just remained silent, stood unmoved, and glared off into the distance at the city in the background.

During his long career, he had seen more than enough Officers fall like Nick had for this city, even way before he was Chief of Police… and today specifically, that bold Fox was just the end of a long list. The job was dangerous, but that didn't make it any less of a tragedy.

For himself, Bogo had dealt with enough grief in his life that it no longer affected him, at least not like it would any other mammal; he still felt saddened, but was often irritated by how easily broken some mammals were. Only, he knew not all mammals were made of stone like he was. The only thing he could do was to stay strong for those who were affected, to be the one to sympathise and comfort. To be, if necessary… the shoulder to cry on. And to certainly be the one to motivate the bereaved in carrying on, and staying strong for their departed loved one.

…

Three mammals, three very different individuals dealing with grief in their own way:

One cries.

The other gets angry.

And the third stays quiet.

* * *

For a time which felt like hours on end, Judy was unintelligible. Just grieving over the lifeless Fox, balling with tears and weeps as she let out her seemingly unending sadness. After she had let out the worst, she found a shred of her motivation returning, in an effort for her to try and speak to him one last time, even if he couldn't listen. Judy had to tell Nick that she loved him back. She managed to hold back her sobs and moans of anguish for long enough to enable her to speak out in a hushed whisper;

"Nick…" Judy stammered, "I know… you probably can't hear me-" she paused as she sniffed, "but I hope you can, because, I have to say this…"

She paused longer as her lip trembled and her nose twitched;

"I don't know how to explain it, and I don't even know exactly when it started, but-" she sniffed again, another tear leaving her eye, "I always thought for some time, that maybe… maybe there was something between us that could be more than friendship… But I didn't do or say anything serious about it, because I was always scared of what you might say, and now I feel _so_ , _stupid_ that we've been feeling the same way for so long and-"

She paused again, as she gulped, wiping away her tears;

"The truth is Nick…" Judy paused again before she said it, "I love you too… I do... Nick Wilde, I _really do_ love you!" she said with glee, only to instantly change back to grief, "But _please_ , Nick, _please!_ Don't give up now!-"

Tears began to stream down her face again, as Judy's sobs returned;

"You can't say you love me then leave me- you can't!" she pleaded, "It's _not fair_! ... I know that sounds selfish, but it's not! … I already thought I'd lost you once today- I… I don't want to lose you, _Nick_! … Not just after I had you back…"

Judy leaned her head back down, whining onto his shoulder as she continued to weep and beg;

"I love you, Nick. _Please_ come back… please come back to me…"


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

 ** _'Three Simple Words – Part 3: Life'_**

* * *

Life is such a great thing, yet such a fragile thing, that can be so very easily lost, or taken. It is the way of the universe, and has been since the stars started burning in the heavens above, with the knowledge that death is the only constant. Except, it can come for some much sooner than expected or ever so suddenly, and those that survive to experience that loss… some of them may even wish for their own to come as well.

It was exactly how Judy Hopps felt right now, her sobs now silent as she wept over the lifeless husk of the mammal she loved: Nick Wilde, knowing that no amount of volume to her wails would bring him back.

After fighting through so much, suffering so much themselves, giving it their all, kicking ass and tail and defeating the bad guys, and saving the city…

Today was supposed to be a victory.

Only it felt like it was _anything but_ a victory now. Now that Judy felt like she had just lost everything from a life she didn't get to begin with Nick. That's what hurt most of all… that the life she had hoped to have with him would now forever only happen in her imagination…

And that only allowed more quiet wails to escape her lips as she lay there huddled next to and crying into the body of her Fox.

* * *

Even with the distance he had put between himself and the scene, Fang could still hear the Rabbit's audible woes, only furthering his own woes that he had failed her, failed Nick, and in turn… failed himself. It didn't matter anymore that they had still won today, and saved the city from an apocalypse of Nighthowler gas…

No victory was worth the death of a friend.

Fang just remained still, staring only at the bridge beneath his feet, sat alone on the bare wet tarmac. His tail remained motionless, curled around his side as his ears folded back against his skull, visually displaying his sorrow…

Only he was still sat there livid with grief-stricken rage.

After some time, the Wolf looked up from the asphalt barely a metre in front of his outstretched feet, seeing a little ways down the bridge and spotting the place where the Black Panther and Coyote lay unmoved. Fang glared at both Roan and Madelyn with a distasteful scorn. He could see the black furred feline was still breathing, even if he looked like bloody death warmed over after Bogo was finished with him. What Fang noticed too, was that the Coyote the Panther was huddled against, was _not_ breathing. A spiteful one-sided smile formed on his muzzle at the fact that Roan was quite likely heartbroken too, and as cruel as it was to think this way, Fang felt like he deserved it. But for one moment, he actually felt sorry for the Panther that he had lost his mate…

But only for a moment.

That Panther was still a murderous fanatical psychopath, which had now added one last name to his list of likely hundreds of murdered mammals… and Fang was ever so tempted to let out all his anger on him. He could feel a rasping growl at the back of his throat as he thought about it… to charge over there and beat the Panther even more senselessly than Bogo had already done so. Fang didn't care on the questionable morality of it, he wanted to see that b*stard suffer even more, because it was him who had killed his friend.

…

But instead, Fang just huffed dismally, shook his head, and gazed aimlessly down at the ground again.

There was no use for revenge when nothing would bring back the dead.

The Wolf's anger dissipated, now only leaving the sadness within him as he just sat there alone in the cold. It suddenly made an instinctive pulse cut through his chest, as he blinked away a tear, suddenly feeling like he wanted to howl...

It was a baser instinct that other species often mocked wolves for… but that was because they didn't understand it. Howling was an expression of emotion in lupine culture, all depending on the tone of the howl; be it happiness, celebration, humour, respect, or in this case, sadness and mourning… and it was widely considered by those who had ever heard one, that a group howl of lamenting wolves at a lupine funeral, was one of the most haunting and yet, most beautiful things to ever grace your eardrums.

Deep down, Fang was still angry. Angry at the Panther, angry at himself, angry with the world… but he wanted to howl- even if Nick wasn't a wolf, in a gesture of respect and mourning for his fallen friend.

…

He prepared himself for it, coughing to clear his throat, suddenly realising how thirsty he was despite being drenched through to the bone from the earlier ferocity of the storm and with all the water around him. He lifted his head up, staring down the bridge once more, preparing to crane his head upwards-

But that was as far as he got…

Because as Fang stared down the bridge, he spotted something lying amongst the debris of the two wrecked vehicles. It was more or less next to, but slightly away from where the Panther and Coyote lay. Something small and oddly blue in amongst the shades of grey around them. He noticed what it was immediately: one of the Nighthowler inhalers… though how one had found itself there Fang didn't know. He could only assume it was one that belonged to the Coyote, as Bogo had used the Panther's inhaler and tossed it away already.

A thought suddenly popped into his head…

An idea… that could still save Nick's life.

As Fang thought right back through this eventful morning, right back to when he and Nick confronted Roan in the room at the construction site, the Panther had rather willingly explained what the inhalant was capable of. The drug was a performance enhancer, but by being made from the Nighthowler plant, it was also something much more. While it was likely to be a lot more complex than Fang's assumption was (a fact of which he was quite aware of), this variant of the Nighthowler serum essentially acted like super-adrenaline… and he had proof; the Cheetah that took him, Nick, Catherine and Wolford to finally bring down for good, and how Bogo had managed to lift a several dozen tonne heavy trailer, and push it off the bridge only moments ago… and that was only from the displays he was there to witness. Adrenaline (or epinephrine), was the last resort for treating cardiac arrest… and quite clearly, whatever it was exactly that made up this cerulean chemical concoction was precisely that, or at least something inherently similar, except it was… Fang dared to think: … Better?

Fang's ears lifted at the possibility that, if he could somehow get the drug into Nick's body, even if it was still in liquid form, then maybe- _just_ maybe, it _could_ restart his heart.

It was a long shot, and Fang questioned in his own head whether or not it would work, or even how much serum to use or if too much of it would turn Nick savage or kill him anyway. It made Fang hesitate, but he put the thought aside. They hadn't got anything left to lose. Nick was already gone, so doing anything to save him couldn't really do more harm than good.

There was no time to waste, Fang hurriedly flipped himself over, pushing off all fours and jumping to his feet, heading back towards the makeshift shelter where the Rabbit remained sobbing over the lifeless Fox;

"Judy…" Fang said soothingly, catching her attention as she slowly lifted her head to look at him. He paused as he caught site of her face. Judy was a wreck, her eyes bloodshot and the fur beneath them matted with tears. Her heartbreak was clear as day on her face…

But Fang was hoping he could solve that problem;

"Keep doing CPR," He continued, "I- I may have an idea… I think we can still save him,"

At that statement, Judy's ears partially lifted, and her eyes lit up as her glimmer of hope suddenly sparked back to life. It was small and it was dim, but it was there, and that's what mattered. If there was any chance of still saving Nick, she would do it… although she was somewhat confused of her Wolf companion's sudden realisation.

And she still kept that confused look on her face as Fang suddenly left and ran away down the bridge. Nevertheless, she trusted him, whatever he was up to, and lifted herself from the ground, now leaning over Nick again, and for the last time, placed her paws one over the other just beneath his ribcage and began pressing down repeatedly with all her might.

It took all her might too, because by now Judy had barely any energy left to go on. Repeated compressions of CPR were exceedingly tiring, and it was a wonder to how she had kept on going before, let alone now. However, Judy was always one to exceed expectations, in more ways than one. She soldiered on, hoping this gamble, whatever it was, would work, and bring Nick back to her.

The sudden turnabout of the situation caused Bogo to return his attention to the scene, noticing Fang make a limping sprint down the bridge as he watched in confusion himself. He then leaned down, dropping to one knee as he peeked beneath the makeshift shelter he had built, seeing Judy vigorously resuscitating the lifeless Fox.

It was almost like he'd jumped back in time somehow, but he was quite sure he hadn't. So when Fang quickly returned, Bogo asked openly;

"Jonathan, what-"

"This-" the Wolf interrupted, holding up the Nighthowler inhaler he had gone to pick up as he dropped down to his knees next to the medkit, "This is a super performance enhancing drug, right?" he paused, seeing both Judy and Bogo watching him closely, listening to his every word, "Roan explained all about it when me and Nick found him earlier… it's like adrenaline, but like… a hundred times stronger!"

Fang knew the number was an exaggeration, but was only saying to make a point. Judy and Bogo continued to listen, already contemplating on the idea themselves.

"I'm thinking, if maybe it works the same way…" Fang continued, "rather than inhaling it, we inject some into Nick's body- into his blood stream, and it may just restart his heart long enough to shock him again," he paused again as he placed the inhaler down, and began rummaging through the medkit in front of him, "That is, as long as there's a syringe in here we can use…"

For a moment, Judy and Bogo said nothing, allowing Fang to find a single empty medial syringe inside the large red case. For now, the Wolf carried on regardless, as Bogo silently continued thinking this idea through in his head.

He would have queried a dislike on such a rash use of a drug they had little to no information about, only knowing what they did from what they had experienced today. But on that side of the debate, Bogo had no leg to stand on, considering he had recklessly used the inhaler himself not so long ago, and he knew what it felt like, and knew that Fang's assumptive logic was sound.

The only thing holding him back was the ethical standpoint. It had been a long time since Nick had flat-lined… or at least, it had felt like a long time. There was a possibility that in that time the lack of blood flow along with the loss of blood had caused the Fox to suffer brain damage, severe or not. What was holding Bogo back right now was the question: What sort of life would Nick live if this gamble did work and he did survive? What would this mean for those who cared about him? What would it do to Judy? To have Nick back, but for him to never be the same? Or even, would it still keep him alive in the long run?

All viable questions… because, for her sake, Bogo didn't want to see Judy go through the grief of losing Nick a second time;

"Jonathan…" Bogo stopped the Wolf, speaking softly, "Are you _sure_ this is going to work?"

"No…" Fang answered forlornly, looking down, "and I have no idea what will happen if it _does_ either… but we've done all we can and it's not worked. So… what harm is there in trying?" He slowly looked up at Bogo, "… And, no offence sir… but it's not your decision to make."

Bogo couldn't argue with that statement, as he and Fang both simultaneously turned and looked at Judy.

No matter what the outcome was.

Right now, with only the three of them present, the decision was hers to make.

In complete contrast to how she was only a moment before, Judy's face was emotionless, although the evidence of her previous crying was still noticeable. With her renewed resolve however, Fang and Bogo didn't need to wait long for a solid answer.

Judy nodded shallowly, but spoke firmly;

"Let's try it."

…

They went to work, the only thing keeping them going being the hasty hope of a rather reckless plan.

While Judy continued CPR, her action filled only with that reckless hope, Fang began to dismantle the Nighthowler inhaler…

With a strong but easy pull, the Wolf disconnected the transparent canister filled with the cerulean serum from the actuator of the device. A trickle of it spilled from the cylinder when Fang pulled it out and separated both parts and tossed the actuator away. There was more than enough remaining in the tiny canister when Fang picked up the syringe from the medkit in front of him, swiftly removing the needle cap and also tossed it away. He started to shake, but keeping it steady as he could, he stuck the tip of the exposed needle into the shimmering blue liquid, and gently pulled back the plunger, picking up a generous amount of the Nighthowler performance enhancer that filled at least a quarter of the syringe.

Fang shuffled over to where Nick lay, where Judy was still giving CPR. The Wolf instantly grasped onto the Fox's left arm, lifting his limp limb to find a vein to inject.

It was nothing but guess work to him… Fang didn't know a damn thing about administering injections, only that he had to find a vein, which was considerably difficult to find underneath fur, no matter the thickness of it. It put that immeasurable pressure on him again, just like when he was trying to disarm the bomb earlier, making his paw shake as he held the syringe. It didn't help that Fang was holding it in maimed right paw too. The combination of that and the stress he was under once again meant he couldn't hold the syringe steady… and sure enough;

"Sh*t!" Fang hissed to himself as he dropped it, breathing out heavily in exasperation.

"I've got it," Bogo suddenly inputted as he picked up the syringe for him. It barely fit the Buffalo's large hand-hoofs, but at least Bogo was able to hold the syringe firm, "Keep his arm steady,"

Fang now placed both his paws on Nick's limp left arm, holding firmly onto the Fox's appendage for Bogo to inject the serum.

He still thought this wasn't a good idea… but, there was no other option and they had already exhausted everything they had to offer, and there was still no sign of any help coming. Putting his worries aside, Bogo persisted, feeling carefully and soon finding a small but long lump that traced up Nick's arm, indicating a vein to inject into. He prod the needle against the Fox's skin, bypassing his fur, keeping the syringe at a low angle so the serum was injected intravenously into Nick's arm, and ever so gently… completely uncharacteristic for Bogo from what Judy and Fang had ever seen of him, he pressed the needle into Nick's arm, and began to slowly press the plunger down, injecting the Fox with the Nighthowler performance enhancer drug…

There was no visible reaction… but there never was likely to be one.

After allowing Bogo to retrieve the needle, with the tiniest spout of blood popping out the jab hole, Fang gently let Nick's arm back onto the ground.

This was the moment of truth…

The look of determination on Judy's face was enough to make any criminal turn themselves in rather than face her wrath, only it was marred still by the odd tear that escaped her eyes. She persevered indefinitely and defiantly, continuing to resuscitate her partner and her Fox: the mammal she loved. Thirty compressions. Two breaths.

Meanwhile, Bogo just leaned back, underneath the rain outside the makeshift shelter, having nothing left to do to help, and Fang shuffled back over to manage the defibrillator, still kept shielded from the wet to the side of the improvised shelter.

With the electrode pads still attached to Nick's chest, all he had to do was stare at the ECG on the AED's display… somehow feeling like it was an age ago since he was staring at it earlier.

He waited expectantly, hoping for something to happen… only for the rhythm strip of Nick's heartbeat to remain almost completely straight.

…

Some time passed, time that was running out. Too much time for anything good to come out of it. Fang just continued to stare at the AED's display hoping and waiting, only for nothing to change. After long enough had passed, he could deny the truth, as he closed his eyes and marginally shook his head, coming to realise that his plan had failed…

Except, when he opened his eyes not but a moment after, he saw it:

When the motionless rhythm line of Nick's heartbeat suddenly jumped to a peak, then down to a trough, and back to a peak.

Fang's eyes widened in hope, waiting if another came…

It did… as another peak and trough appeared, the beats suddenly becoming more and more common on the rhythm strip.

Judy had noticed the Wolf's reaction, asking him;

"Is it-"

"It's working…" Fang answered positively, "keep going!"

With even further renewed confidence, Judy continued the compressions, with even more vigorousness than before…

Fang's sight remained fixed on the ECG display, apart from the times he glanced at the Fox, silently murmuring some words of encouragement as if to force him to stir;

"Come on, Nick… Come back…"

The rhythm line on the ECG was still irregular to what it should be, but that was a blessing compared to the flat motionless line that had been there before. It was too much to bear to fail now, for all of them, not after coming back from such a turnaround of the situation. There was still a chance to save Nick, and it had to work. It _had_ to. All they needed to wait for now was for the defibrillator to analyse his heart rhythm, and hope it became something shockable in order to revive him completely.

There was still a chance…

And that chance soon came, when after some time, the electrical whirring sound emitted from the machine as the capacitor charged itself to be used, and the AED's display transformed to say;

* * *

 _Analysing Rhythm…_

 _Shock Recommended._

* * *

"Move back! Move back!" Fang ordered the Rabbit, waving his paw once more.

Judy instantly moved to a safe distance, eyes wide in hopeful expectance as Fang moved his paw till it hovered over the shock button of the AED, while he, Judy and Bogo too, waited with bated breath…

As now came the second moment of truth.

The moment that would decide whether Nick would live or die.

Fang pressed the button-

The Fox's body tensed up once more as several hundred volts of electricity coursed through his chest, hitting that biological reset button and hopefully cause his heart to beat normally again. After the shock had done its work, the Fox became relaxed, his body settling peacefully on the ground once more…

That single second after the shock felt like an eternity to Judy, with it being the moment where she would find out if she would be accompanying Nick at his bedside in hospital, or by the side of his coffin at his funeral. That single second felt so long to her that she even had time to vividly imagine both scenarios in her head.

She prayed that it wasn't the latter.

But as only silence remained after the moment passed, Judy's ears drooped down the back of her head again as she closed her eyes and bowed her head, losing all hope again-

…

Until, she heard exactly what she had been begging to hear…

It was plainly noticeable in the silence around them.

Judy's ears twitched at the sound: the unmistakable noise of a hoarse and croaky, but solid inhale of air.

She opened her eyes, gazing at her Fox, seeing his face twitch.

His chest began to rise and fall.

His fur regaining its usual shine.

And then as if to cement the miracle, Nick's renewed breathing spurted out a couple of weak coughs, followed by an audible groan of discomfort, which was then further followed by more much stronger and steadier breaths, continuing indefinitely...

Judy's expression immediately changed to that of delighted surprise, her ears lifting high and her tears changing to that of joy as she saw the life come back to the Fox she loved.

Fang and Bogo looked on at the scene, glancing at each other in cheerful shock at the Fox's renewed breathing, left almost completely speechless at the miracle before them.

Fang craned his head down as he quickly checked the AED's display as it turned back to saying:

* * *

 _Analysing Rhythm..._

 _No Shock Advised._

* * *

It then changed back to the ECG, showing what even a novice in any medical knowledge would recognise as a strong and healthy heartbeat…

Which was defined thusly by the two words that accompanied the rhythm line:

* * *

 _Good Rhythm._

* * *

It had worked… despite the odds that had been stacked against them, against Nick… they had successfully brought him back from the dead.

Judy was ecstatic, unable to hold back her jubilant tears-

"John, you're a genius!" she cheered as she suddenly bolted up to hug the Wolf.

Fang smiled as Judy slammed into and threw her arms around him, albeit a little winded by the Bunny's sudden embrace; obviously Judy didn't know her own strength. He gently reciprocated her friendly hug, lifting his good left paw loosely to her back, as the realisation sunk into him. He hadn't just saved Nick's life with his rash idea… he had saved Judy's life too. The Wolf couldn't hold back that little shred of a happy tear fall from his eye when he blinked, as his smile grew wider and warmer, feeling like he had finally done something right today.

He was shook from his thoughts when the other mammal present spoke out;

"Well done Fangmeyer," Bogo praised as he encouragingly patted the Wolf's shoulder, "Bloody well done…"

He turned to face Bogo, seeing the usual stoic Buffalo give him one of those extremely rare smiles of revered appraisal… the ones he saved up for when he was truly proud of one of his Officers.

Judy didn't stay hugging her Wolf companion for very long, but long enough to show her eternal gratitude. Fang jolted his paw up when she suddenly let him go as it partially startled him, now watching Judy return to Nick's side.

The Fox's breathing was still hoarse and rough, but definitely strong and steady. Despite being in the same position all this time, the difference was notable between a dying Nick and a sleeping Nick. Never mind just the obvious rise and fall of his chest, his mouth had now closed shut, almost looking like a grin had appeared across his muzzle, letting out quiet groans, hums, or whines in his unconsciousness. His fur bristled against the light breeze flowing through the makeshift shelter, whereas before it was almost static, and some of his muscles lightly twitched across his body, Judy's favourite of all being the little whip from the tip of his tail.

She leaned down to him, as if to greet him instantly if or when he suddenly awoke.

While she was overjoyed to have him back, Judy still had that small fearful thought in the back of her head that Nick wouldn't be the same after this. Near death experiences could seriously change a mammal's life, in more ways than one. But whatever happened, Judy would be there for him. She told herself that, as long as Nick still lived, she would remain beside him to help him, to care for him, and to love him-

"Hopps, give him some air for goodness sake," Bogo said with a mildly humorous tone, cutting into the Bunny's thoughts.

Fang let out a puffed chuckle as he exhaled, the same warm smile still wide across his muzzle.

"Right, sorry…" Judy drolly mumbled back…

But she didn't move away from Nick at all, unknowingly forcing Bogo to concede that she wouldn't be moved.

Suddenly, Nick groaned again, which was perfectly understandable considering all the aches and pains he must still be feeling.

Judy leaned right down, their muzzles almost touching as she stared waiting at his still-closed eyes;

"Nick…" she murmured out as she gazed at him.

The Fox's ears twitched as he could hear his name being called to him, even in his unconsciousness;

"Nick…" Judy murmured out again…

His eyes twitched beneath his closed eyelids, forcing Judy to smile eagerly.

Before long, Nick's eyelids slowly separated, stopping to show only a thin strip of the shimmering emerald iris of his eye that met the pearlescent amethysts of Judy's own, as tears of joy still welled within them.

That was as far as he opened them for now… and for now it was all he needed. Nick's eyes were locked with Judy's as he awoke, transfixed on their beauty, and the beauty of the mammal they belonged to. It didn't take any sort of indication other than her eyes for Nick to know it was her.

The Fox and Bunny gazed lovingly into the other's very soul, lost in the moment as they became lost in each other's eyes, while probably only a few seconds passed around them, and ignoring their company. It felt like an eternity, an infinite adoring time with no worry, no fighting, no more test of life, forming their own little world around themselves as the two lovers just stared affectionately…

All until the moment, when Judy became a little perturbed, a little annoyed, but also completely overjoyed when the first words out of Nick's mouth after this terrible ordeal, came out with his usual brand of sarcastic wit, when he immediately took advantage of the situation with the teary eyed bunny hovering above him, and with his croaky voice, he uttered cleverly;

"Bunnies… So emotional."

And then he grinned.

A small but sincere version of his usual toothy one-sided grin. The one that Judy had so come to love;

"Nick…" she voiced gently, not being able to contain her joyful tears as they flowed freely from her eyes…

Nor could she contain her need to embrace him when Nick also responded with a soft and tender voice;

"Judy…"

She collapsed onto him, burying her muzzle into the fur of his neck, leaning her right arm over his chest to his other shoulder as she nuzzled and hugged him, this time feeling the radiant warmth from him and the resilient thumping beat from his chest.

Nick responded tenderly, leaning his head over to nuzzle his emotional Bunny, gently rubbing the fur on the crown of her head with his uncut cheek, feeling the gentle tingle of static between them while he managed to weakly lift his left arm and gently caress the fur on Judy's arm draped over him in return.

Together, Nick and Judy just lay there, eyes closed as they smiled wide, absorbing the warmth and scent of the other, nuzzling affectionately, and taking in the loving embrace now that they were finally reunited on what had been debatably, both the worst, and possibly best day of their lives…

* * *

 **A/N: Ok, be honest… did you or did you not shed at least one tear during all that? Because I think I did, and I wrote the damn thing! Nevertheless, I hope you all "enjoyed" that drama over the last three chapters. It was certainly different to write after everything else in this story so I hope it came across well, and I hope you're all happy now; of course Nick was going to make it out alive! For the record, seen as the subject caused, errr… quite the stir in the reviews, I never had any intention of killing him off. Put him and every other character through hell, yea. But kill? No.**

 **I wasn't entirely sure the idea of using the Nighthowler inhaler to bring him back was entirely realistic, but this fic is first and foremost an action thriller and is supposed to be only realistic to an extent, and I figured using the inhalant serum seemed believable enough, innovative, and probably unpredictable too… yes? No? Tell me what you think ;) After all, this is a Zootopia fanfic, and Zootopia is a Disney movie, and stranger things have happened in other Disney movies due to Disney magic :P**

 **I do hope you've enjoyed everything so far, because… that's all of it really. Only one chapter left to go, which I should hopefully have out before the end of the month. Until then, thank you all for reading, and most importantly, for putting up with my unbearable cliffhangers… sorry. I swear I don't do all of them on purpose! I swear! It just so happens those are the best places to split up the story, sooo... yea. Sorry! And again... thanks :)**


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

 ** _'A Rest Well Earned'_**

* * *

It had been a long, exhausting, painful, bloody and seemingly endless day... and now, finally… it seemed _so much_ brighter, both in the figurative and physical sense.

The bad guys were beaten. The city was saved. Lives were reunited.

And now that the worst of the cyclonic superstorm had passed, Zootopia's highly advanced climate control systems were working overtime to dissipate what remained, and bring the city back to its usually sectored climatic equilibrium…

The rain still spat down lightly with tiny infrequent drips, as opposed to the fierce downpour it was earlier. It was a pleasant rain now. The wind had died down to a soft breeze… still enough to ruffle the fur, but not enough to be unpleasant. While in the sky above, the thick grey clouds began to slowly rip apart, where several heavenly hazy beams of light began to seep through as the sun returned to bathe the city in its warm and glorious shine.

Ever so slowly, everything was simply returning to normal…

Or, at least as _normal_ as 'normal' gets in the city where anyone can be anything.

* * *

They had no idea how long they had continued to lay there, atop of the improvised gauze bedding underneath their makeshift metal shelter…

It could have been forever for all they cared, as the Fox and Rabbit just lay there in each other's loving embrace, taking no notice of their company, or the world around them… because all they needed was the other to have their world. After such a continuously dangerous and deadly experience for the last few hours, all Nick and Judy wanted was to be there with each other, with no interruptions or perils. Just… to be within the presence of the mammal they loved.

Of course, not every loving embrace can last forever, although there was always another waiting to be had. After some time, the Rabbit retreated from her Fox as he let her pull back, the two of them going back to staring adoringly into each other's eyes.

Judy just couldn't stop smiling. A warm and wide smile of love, aligned with shimmering and semi-watering eyes; a combined expression of both contented happiness and joyous relief that she finally had Nick back, and wouldn't let him go again.

Nick was sure he'd seen this image of her before in something that felt like a dream. He couldn't rightly remember where from, but he was _sure_ he had seen this before, at least in some form of his sub-conscious:

 _A grey and fuzzy image, with a slight shimmer of purple- a pair of amethyst gems, staring at him with the warmest and most comforting gaze, accompanied by the most loving of smiles..._

He was _definitely_ sure he had seen Judy like this before-

And then the memory suddenly flashed to him:

His earlier near-death experience, after being blasted out the window of the apartment complex by his own grenade, much earlier today. It somehow felt like the event was almost a year ago… and what he remembered too, was that it was the promise of seeing the silky grey fur and luminous purple eyes of this Rabbit again that had encouraged him to push deaths grasp away from him and carry on fighting, just so he could see her at least once more…

And now here she was… in reality.

It filled Nick with such a warm feeling of happiness. He couldn't recall a time that he had been so happy in his life, now that he was reunited with his favourite Bunny, and his favourite mammal altogether, as he simply gazed at her, with her gazing back at him in exactly the same way…

Nick maintained his usual snarky smirk: the facial expression that made Nick who he was, the one he knew Judy had fell for. Except… with one simple change, he transformed his smirk into something completely different, by simply and effortlessly closing his lips, no longer showing his teeth with his smile.

It didn't go unnoticed by Judy. In the mere millisecond, Nick's smile now had a completely different tone to it. It was no longer a sly smirk, but an adoring smile that matched her own, coupled with the gleaming green iris and dilated pupil of his handsome eyes. Just the look Nick gave her made Judy's heart flutter, but it was the fact it was an expression of his she'd never seen before that told her without need for words how much she meant to him.

It just filled Judy with more of that a soothing warm feeling that completely conflicted and annihilated the woe and sorrow she had felt only minutes before, thinking that Nick had left her forever…

With that thought grazing her mind again, Judy couldn't contain herself anymore… as she suddenly let out a little whine and simply collapsed down to hug the Fox tighter.

It forced Nick to let out a little 'eep', following which he spoke humorously with his hoarse voice;

"Easy Carrots… I'm still hurting pretty bad you know,"

"I know, I'm sorry… I'm just-" Judy sighed heavily as she let him go and leaned up, going back to staring at her Fox with a tender gaze, "I… I really thought I'd lost you there… and I-"

"Hey…" Nick gently grabbed her paw that was currently placed on his left shoulder, "You didn't lose me Fluff…" he assured her, "besides, it's gonna take more than a few bullets to kill this sly Fox-"

"Well strictly speaking Wilde," a booming voice interrupted, "you were already dead for a few moments there,"

Slightly stunned from the sudden input, Nick turned his head on the ground to see the culprit, as Judy lifted hers and did the same, both of them landing their eyes on the Cape Buffalo that was their Commanding Officer, as well as the silent White Wolf beside him that instantly reminded Judy that she and Nick _weren't_ alone…

"Oh! Heeyyy!" Nick managed to raise his hoarse voice nervously but keeping a humorous tone as he turned back to Judy, "Carrots, our boss is here…"

"Don't sound so surprised Wilde," Bogo huffed wittily.

"No... It's just," Nick looked at him again, still keeping his humorous tone, "where the hell were you earlier when we needed you?" he challenged.

"Better late than never…" the Buffalo answered, "as you would say, considering all the times you've been late to your briefings, as well as your fairly pitiful excuses,"

"I swear, the time my alarm clock burst into flames _really_ did happen," Nick insisted with a sly smile.

A sudden snigger came from the Wolf next to Bogo, having reminded Fang of the time Nick trudged late into morning briefing with a bandage around his right paw. It was one of those, 'you had to be there' moments, because Fang knew he couldn't possibly explain to anyone how or what exactly happened or what was said, only that the to-and-fro between Nick and Bogo was beyond hilarious… and no-one, not even Judy, ever did find out if Nick was _actually_ being serious…

In the present however, Fang's snigger forced Bogo to give him a hard glare, seeing only when he felt the stare on him that he turned to look at his boss, and then swiftly looked away, coughing before mumbling out;

"Sorry,"

The Wolf then instantly turned to the Fox, asking frankly;

"How do you feel Nick?"

The answer hung for a moment as Nick comprehended the question, quickly glancing at Judy with his warm smile again on his muzzle…

Mentally, he was elated.

 _Physically_ however-

"Urrgh," Nick groaned and cringed after barely inching from his position, "Like I've been trampled on by a pack of rhinos,"

"Crash, Nick," Judy corrected innocently, yet in a matter-of-factly way, "A group of rhinos is called a crash,"

"She's right," Bogo added, not as innocently as the Rabbit did.

"You, you… you…" Nick uttered glancing back at Judy, trying to rake his mind for something witty to say back, only to come to a blank, as he sighed instead, saying mischievously; "Conscious again for barely five minutes and you're already one-upping me,"

"It's not one-upping if I'm right," Judy replied, feeling only just _a little_ guilty as she put on a smirk.

"Hmm," the Fox flashed his eyebrows, going back to his tender gaze, "You were definitely right about one thing though,"

"What?" Judy asked, tilting her head.

"Getting shot does ruddy well hurt…" Nick sniggered.

"Nick…" Judy drawled with an adoring whine, as she leaned down to hug him again, "I did warn you earlier,"

"I know, I know…" Nick drawled too, soothing the Bunny's worries with a short stroke of her undamaged ear.

After the short hug when Judy finally let him go again, Nick attempted to shuffle on the ground, preparing to at least lean himself up to speak to his companions properly. Only, the movement put such a strain on his exhausted muscles, and flipped the pain switches back onto his many injuries, forcing him to again growl in anguish.

"Nick, take it easy," Judy insisted, gently placing her paw on his shoulder, "Probably a good idea if you don't move for a while,"

"Yea, Chief wasn't kidding when he said you were dead for a few moments there," Fang added.

"Alright," Nick agreed, "But err... If I was…" he gulped at the information, " _Gone_ … how did you, bring me back?"

There wasn't an immediate response as Nick looked between the three mammals present around him, who were currently glancing between each other, waiting for either one to answer the question instead…

And then, Nick slowly looked sideways to see the obvious evidence. The empty canister of a mutilated inhaler, with some residual blue liquid inside. The empty and used syringe, also with some residual blue liquid inside, and the little pin prick in his arm;

"Oh… you _are_ kidding me, right?"

"Hey… you're alive aren't you?" Fang answered, attempting to quell the Fox's worry.

"Yea… but," Nick spluttered, "did you even think about any side effects, or anything!? What if I- I don't wanna go savage!"

"You aren't showing any signs, and believe me, I _know_ what they are," Fang assured, "Plus, it's only the performance enhancer drug, not the real bad stuff-"

"It still comes from the same plant Fang!"

"Nick, we did it to save you…" Judy added on, the tone of her voice soft and reassuring, "had we had any other alternative we wouldn't have done it, but we tried everything and-" Judy abruptly stopped as she felt like her tear duct dams were about to break again, "Like I said… I really thought I had lost you back there… I- I'd have done anything…"

The tender yet worried gaze Judy gave him subdued Nick's worry, as he could almost see the sorrow she was in minutes before with the expression she had on-

"Look Wilde, just be glad it worked in the first place," Bogo piled on to get the point across, "Had it not, we _definitely_ wouldn't be having this conversation. Furthermore, if you _did_ turn savage, I hardly think you'd be much of a threat with the condition you're in… but, we will be keeping an eye on you for any… _unwanted_ side effects,"

True as Bogo's words were, they sounded more like an order to Nick with the tone the Buffalo had said them: _Stop worrying, you are alive, and be glad you're still alive_.

And Nick couldn't deny that. He was alive… and right now, that was all that mattered. Only, the thought then just hit his mind that he had in fact been, _dead_. Even if it was for a few minutes… he had been gone. That wasn't any sort of simple information to take in for anyone. The fact resonated through Nick's mind, repeating itself; a feeling of panic developing inside him at the threat to his mortality. He didn't show it on the outside, but Nick felt like he was about to have a mental breakdown, right then and there on the spot-

But the simple change of his attention quickly quelled the feeling, as he glanced again at Judy, taking in the sight of her warm smile and glistening eyes. Except then, the crueller chasms in the depths of his mind then transformed that thought he had just repressed, as it occurred to him what it would have done to Judy if he had died. The thought of leaving her- leaving her heartbroken… it crushed Nick more than the realisation of his own death.

Nick then started to think even more… what if it had been the other way round? What if Judy was the one laying here dying and he couldn't save her? The thought was so horrific he couldn't imagine it- he couldn't bear it, and it struck his mind again that that is what Judy had just been through. It just made Nick want to hold her tightly and never let go…

But for now, a simple held paw would have to suffice; it's all Nick could manage until the inevitable time he had to force himself to move… but it was more than enough, as he lifted his left paw to cup Judy's right within it tightly and tenderly, and they maintained their loving gaze between each other.

At least, until a very familiar noise to them began to emanate from the distance:

The blaring whine of police sirens.

Bogo spun his head round to see the origin, as Nick, Judy and Fang only slowly turned their heads… where sure enough, still a long way down the bridge, the sight of flashing red and blues atop of several vehicles lit up the roadway.

"Well, it's about bloody time…" Bogo grumbled, though with the slightest hint of humour to his voice.

The comment earned a couple of chuckles from the three other mammals present on the clear irony of the situation: help now coming when it was no longer needed.

"Better late than never," Nick quietly quipped, "right Chief?"

Bogo just shook his head…

"What do you want us to do now sir," Judy asked, ever keeping to her professionalism.

"For your three, rest for the weary," he ordered, looking between the Wolf, Rabbit and Fox as he stood up and towered above all three of them, "You've all done more than enough today. As soon as the ambulance arrives I want all three of you in it. Get to hospital. Get cleaned up. Get fixed up. And get a well-earned rest for as long as you need it…"

"And yourself sir," Judy added.

"Not me Hopps, I've have all your mess to clean up and more after this," the stoic Buffalo responded "besides," he gestured to his oozing red injuries, "these are but scratches. I've had worse… But in your cases, I've never seen you so beaten up-"

"You should see the other guys, sir," Fang interrupted with a pun, earning a chuckle from Nick.

"I have no doubts, Fangmeyer," Bogo responded monotonically, "Although I can say honestly, I'm glad to see you all still at least in one piece…"

"Alight Chief, we get it, you really do care about us," Nick jested, "so you can drop the show now… just _please_ , go back to being Robo-Bogo,"

Bogo let out an amused huff. Being his usual stoic and emotionless self, and putting efficiency above everything else in the job had earned him this nickname from the Fox. Bogo let it slide compared to some of Nick's other quips about him, simply due to the accurate wittiness behind the name… plus, it just rolled off the tongue because it rhymed. And most importantly, which Bogo would deny to the death before telling Nick the truth that he actually _liked_ the nickname…

"You're right Wilde… I do care about you all," the Buffalo finally answered, before turning strict, "But if either of you tell anyone, I _will_ find out, and you'll all be on parking duty for three months following your recovery, and after filling out your After Action Reports and other paperwork, down to the _very last_ detail, of course,"

"There he is!" Nick cheered, with a big grin.

Bogo simply glared at him, silencing the Fox in the instant as Nick took the que to act professionally again;

"Yes sir," he managed a small nod, and finished with a smile, "and… thanks,"

"Pleasure's mine," Bogo responded, forming one of those genuine smiles of his that needed no words, telling all three, Nick, Judy and Fang as he looked between them that he was both impressed and proud of them, having gone above and beyond the call of duty for the sake of the city they had sworn to protect.

The Buffalo retained the gesture until he turned to walk away, and the look of praise was wiped from Bogo's muzzle, replaced now with one of disdain as he glared hard at his destination, and while in the distance the sound of sirens were getting louder.

Nick, Judy and Fang remained quiet as they watched Bogo walk away, noticing where he was heading to. After all…

There was still some unfinished business to attend to.

And that business, was only a short walk away.

* * *

Since being left there by the Buffalo who had beaten him, the Panther had remained unmoved where he lay on the cold tarmac of the bridge, still huddled beside the lifeless canine form of his wife, waiting patiently for the moment he would join her in the next life when everything they had worked for finally came to fruition…

Only, that moment never came for him.

Roan experienced the effects of the blast like all the other mammals on the bridge… except while his enemies rejoiced in their survival, he was lying silently in sorrow, having realised he had been spared from death and was now not only wallowing in the grief of his failure, but also, the grief of his loss. He had been ready to face the end- to die, having lost his beloved to it already just to be with her again, but the world had seemed fit to deny him that.

He would seek revenge if he could… vengeance against those who had taken his victory and the love of his life away from him. But he had no strength left to wield against them, or any time to prepare…

He could hear the sirens approaching too, as well as the heavy hoofsteps of the approaching Cape Buffalo thumping through the ground, coming back to finish him off.

Roan slowly forced his eyes open and strained himself to just barely lift his head from the ground to turn and glance at the imposing form of Chief Bogo. For a single second he held the scorching stare of hatred as the Buffalo approached him, wishing for the bovine's destruction…

But only a wish it remained. Bogo was in a far better condition than he was, even if Roan had left several bloody marks on him… it did better than anything else to show Roan the evermore realisation that he had been bested and beaten, and there was nothing left he could do, and was now at the mercy of the Buffalo.

With that realisation, Roan broke his glare, and turned away as soon as Bogo stopped, now towering above the Panther triumphantly.

"If you've come to gloat… save your breath," Roan scorned with a mumble.

"Now, where would be the fun in that?" Bogo gruffly mocked, "Seems even the best laid plans can still fall through to failure,"

"You mean the plans I had to hastily make this very morning?" Roan retorted, "I think all things considered, I've done quite well… regardless of my failure-"

"That's a novel way of looking at things," Bogo interrupted, "considering what you've lost,"

"Remind me Chief… how many officers down are you?" the Panther snapped.

"Too many. Like I said before," Bogo coldly answered, "But unlike your mob of miscreants, they've been avenged and honoured today, and _will be_ remembered. Whereas your followers, when they're put in the ground… _No-one_ will remember them."

The words stung like white hot needles. Roan seethed with rage behind his blank facial expression. If he had the strength to call upon, he would have lashed out with that rage. But he'd already conceded defeat, and knew if he did, a single simple punch from the Buffalo would easily put him back in his place.

Instead, Roan sighed silently;

"What do you want Bogo?" he asked, "You've already won. You've already had my leg, my arm and my paw… my wife…" he paused for a moment, putting on an emotionless face to hide his grief in front of his victorious enemy, and swiftly continued, "What more could you take from me?"

"How about your life?"

Roan's fur stood on end at the threat behind the words, becoming alert and uneasy when he saw Bogo reach for his holster and slowly pulled out his Model .500 Magnum;

"I meant what I said when the last mammal to die today would be you…" Bogo said.

"Killing an unarmed and injured adversary that's already conceded defeat?" Roan queried snidely, "Surely that's against the law Chief…"

"You forget Roan… in this city," Bogo paused to raise his weapon, aiming directly at Roan's head, forcing the Panther to stare down the barrel, "I _am_ the law,"

"And here I was thinking _I_ was supposed to be the deluded megalomaniac," Roan scorned.

"And yet, I'm the one still standing…" Bogo huffed, "Now…" a loud click came from the handcannon when Bogo pulled back the hammer, priming to fire, "…do you want me to put you out of your misery?"

Roan looked up, staring past the large weapon barrel aimed at him to glare directly at the Buffalo's face;

"You're bluffing,"

"Are you certain?"

Roan didn't answer.

"Me neither…" Bogo stated, "Because I only have five rounds in this thing. Now, I know what you're thinking: 'Has he fired five shots or only four?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all the excitement of the day I've kind of lost track. But being as this is a .500 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would easily split your head in two, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? … Well, do ya, _punk_?"

…

The two mammals just continued to glare, both with eyes filled with hate and maliciousness, but both with completely blank expressions, contemplating what the other was thinking… except, it was completely impossible to tell…

But Roan was determined to call Bogo's bluff;

"Then do it."

Bogo raised an eyebrow, but the rest of his face remained emotionless, as he simply replied;

"Suit yourself,"

He strengthened his stance, preparing to for the weapon's violent recoil as he extended his arm and affirmed his aim at the Panther's head… right between his malevolent eyes.

Roan didn't look at the weapon, but simple retained his glare, sure that the Buffalo wouldn't go through with his threat. A smirk started to form on his muzzle when he noticed Bogo was stalling with empty seconds ticking by… but what he also noticed, was Bogo's expression hadn't changed at all.

Roan glanced at the huge gun barrel that was aimed at him. He was so close to it, he could actually see the bovine's hoof begin to contract over the trigger to pull it, and fire the bullet that would end his life.

It suddenly dawned in his mind that Bogo _wasn't_ bluffing…

And so, Roan snapped his eyes shut, preparing himself for the coming end as he could actually hear the weapon's trigger being pulled with a click-

Roan flinched away…

Until he realised, that single click was the sound of a gun trying to fire an empty casing.

Roan only reopened his eyes once he heard an amused huff and chuckle permeate his hearing, coming from the imposing bovine standing above him. He slowly looked up, forming a frown, and supressing a frustrated growl as he saw the smirk blatantly plastered across Bogo's muzzle, as the bovine slowly lowered his gun;

"Na…" Bogo uttered as he now re-holstered his very empty firearm, "Death is far too simple a punishment for you anyway," he paused again as he crouched down, speaking directly to the beaten and bloodied Panther, "I think throwing you in solitary, in maximum security prison for the rest of your life, knowing you lost everything you ever worked for and everything you ever loved, and leaving you to grieve in your loss until the day old age kills you… is a far more fitting punishment for a psychopathic, suicidal fanatic like you."

"No…" Roan growled silently to himself, knowing what was coming next…

As behind him, the Police sirens that had been steadily getting louder finally silenced, replaced by the sound of chugging combustion engines as the several armoured police vehicles pulled up and parked, each one emptying with fully armed police officers.

Roan hung his head while Bogo gave the group of officers a quick glance as they approached, before turning back to the crippled Panther…

Despite being Chief of Police, Bogo was _always_ prepared to make an arrest personally, and so, he reached for his utility belt, and grabbed hold of a fresh pair of paw-cuffs, before forcing the Panther up to his knees, saying;

"Roan Fyodorov, You have the right to remain silent." Bogo placed the first strand of the cuffs firmly around Roan's right wrist, and locked it firm, "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." Bogo then placed the second strand of the cuffs firmly around Roan's left wrist, and locked it firm, "You have the right to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you." Bogo then forced Roan up to his feet, inciting a rasping growl from him from the pain in his broken leg, "Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?"

…

Roan simply turned his head and glared at the Buffalo… but didn't say a word;

"I didn't think so," Bogo grunted, before gently nudging the Panther, forcing Roan to fall back down to his knees and stirring an angered and painful snarl from him as he fell completely forwards with his bloody paws now bound together within the cuffs.

Bogo simply stared at him, a combined expression still of anger, but also of satisfaction of seeing what was before today, the most dangerous mammal in Zootopia, was now a whimpering wreck at his foot-hoofs, and bound in restraints-

"Sir!" a familiar voice called out.

Bogo turned to see the origin, noticing the tactical gear clad Hippo approaching that he recognised as his trusty Lieutenant, Gregory Higgins;

"Higgins! Took your bloody time," Bogo greeted with his usual commanding tone, "Where's that ambulance I requested?"

"Just a minute or two behind us sir…" the Hippo responded, "You're aware half the roads are flooded from that storm we just had?"

"I thought as much," Bogo mumbled quietly.

"We've already secured the bridge on the mainland side as we passed, and other teams have closed off the majority of The Loop,"

"Good, get a team to close off the other end of the bridge, and secure the area," Bogo ordered, "and most importantly," he then gestured to the arrested Panther on the floor, and said with clear disdain, "Get this waste of fur out of my sight,"

"To… hospital, sir?" Higgins questioned unsurely.

The question actually took Bogo by some surprise… until he turned again and examined the Panther. The feline was in a particularly poor state, and despite already being guilty in Bogo's belief, nor did he feel he deserved it, Roan _did_ require medical attention before going to prison for good.

"Unfortunately, yes… if you must," Bogo finally answered with a gruff tone, "but I want armed officers on him at all times! Five at the _least_ , and complete restraints on him, also, at _all_ times," he glanced at the Panther with a glare, "He might be crippled, but remember… he's a cop killer, so _do not_ be gentle with him…"

Higgins nodded firmly, before gesturing two other armed officers to assist him in moving the Panther to one of their vehicles.

"On your feet you," the Hippo sternly demanded as he forced Roan up to his feet, another growl of pain escaping from the feline from being forced onto his broken leg…

* * *

Nick, Judy and Fang all watched silently as they saw Roan being taken away. Nick was now managing to lean up with Judy's help, so he could get a clear view of the moment, as Judy knew he wouldn't want to miss it.

The expression on each of their muzzles was one that could easily be described as smug as they watched Bogo arrest the Panther, and now they watched with the same expressions as he was taken away by Higgins, glad that now the nightmare of this day was finally over for good.

Before they completely lost sight of him however, the three of them saw Roan glare in their direction. It didn't last long, but lasted long enough to give the Panther a fitting send-off:

Judy simply kept her smug smile on, whilst narrowing her eyes to give a scathing glare.

While Nick subtly made a sly wink, along with a humorously snide smile…

But Fang _wasn't_ as subtle; whilst still putting on the same snide smile as his companions, he went one step further with a simple paw gesture. He began by making a sardonic two finger salute to the Panther, before slowly and thoroughly transforming the salute into something else, as he flipped his paw over and extended his middle finger…

He, Judy and Nick, could almost see the rasping growl of frustration leave the Panther's bloody maw, until he was finally out of their sight, forced into one of the armoured police vehicles, which barely a few moments later, turned around and drove off, with another as escort.

…

"Where d'you suppose he'll end up?" Judy asked openly.

"With his rap-sheet, probably Dewclaw Island… though I think even _that_ place is too good for him," Fang answered, still looking down the bridge, "But being the dedicated supermax prison for dangerous predators _only_ , I can't think of anywhere else…" he turned to the Fox and the Rabbit, "All we know is that we won't be seeing him again,"

"Good riddance," Nick remarked calmly.

The three of them remained silent for now as they watched everything going on around them. As well as seeing another set of flashing red and blues and sirens approaching that must be the ambulance, they could hear Bogo's booming voice ordering around all the Officers that had arrived on the scene…

There was a long list he was bellowing out, among which were the tasks of calling in clean-up crews to remove the debris of the two crashed vehicles and take them for scrap as they were completely unsalvageable. Also, notifying traffic officials to close off the damaged bridge and the section of the highway, and then leave the job up to them to get structural engineers in to assess the damage. But the most important task of all on the list was to get a biohazard team in to take away the fifty odd canisters of Nighthowler gas that still remained on the bridge, and to have them, and their toxic contents destroyed.

As they silently recollected on the events of the day, Nick, Judy and Fang couldn't deny that they had made quite the mess for Bogo to clean up. Of course, it wasn't all made by them or entirely their fault, and was for sure a lot less damage to the city and its citizens than what would have occurred if they had failed.

But they hadn't failed. They had won. And now it was over.

Now they could each go rest and relax… a well-earned one at that, just like Bogo had told them, even though they would most likely be spending it in hospital for a few days, or even weeks, with the state of some of their injuries.

For now though, the three heroic mammals just sat there, calmly and quietly on the bridge… although at some point, sooner rather than later, Fang felt he should let the Fox and Rabbit have their privacy for the moment, as with a quick glance behind him, he saw the two of them cuddling with each other. It made a warm smile appear on his muzzle, and reminded him that he would sure enough get to have his own loving embrace with the mammal he loved when he and Catherine would be reunited soon.

As for Nick and Judy, after their scares of the day, the two of them were practically inseparable, huddled together in each other's embrace, side by side. In the moments that passed, Nick hadn't even realised his tail had involuntarily moved to wrap itself behind Judy until she started to stroke it, sending a tingle up his spine. Even with wet fur, the sensation was peaceful, causing Nick to act instinctively, not realising that he had begun to gently hum and started to nuzzle into the fur on Judy's neck as a way of showing his love and gratitude.

"Nick…" Judy drawled embarrassingly, but still with a clear tone of happiness in her voice.

"Sorry," Nick uttered warmly, pulling himself away to gaze at her, "It's just… you saved my life… again,"

Judy let the words hang for a moment, remembering the time she had first saved Nick's life... a long time ago from before he was a cop, during those forty-eight hours that had brought them together. There had been other times since, including the inverse where Nick had returned the favour… but this time, Judy hadn't been alone in the act;

"Actually," she began, turning on the spot to speak to Nick directly, intending to tell him who he should really be thanking, "it was John's idea to use the serum that saved you… I just helped,"

"Huh… Really?" Nick wondered.

He and Judy turned to look at the Wolf, seeing how his ears had perked up straight at hearing his name, and was now looking back in their direction;

"I'd still say it was a team effort overall…" Fang responded, and continued awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, "But yea… just, call it returning the favour… you know? After all the times you saved my tail today,"

"Guess we can call us even then, right?" Nick queried with a grin.

"I still think I might owe you another… but who's counting?" Fang jested.

Nick chuckled a little before putting on a genuinely thankful smile, speaking to the Wolf directly; "Thanks buddy,"

"Don't mention it…" Fang smiled warmly, until it turned mischievous, as he paused and leaned forward, eyes darting between both the Fox and the Bunny with that smug smile across his muzzle when he continued, saying, "But if it's all the same to you…" he winked, "I ain't gonna kiss you,"

"Heh… don't know what you're missing buddy," Nick joked with a smirk.

"I'll still think I'll pass," the Wolf smirked, now slowly making himself stand up, "saving all mine up for a certain Snow Leopard anyway. But for now… I think I'll leave you two lovebirds alone, shall I?"

And with that, and one last grateful smile between the trio… it became a duo, as Fang limped off towards Bogo and the rabble of other Officers, and giving Nick and Judy some debateable privacy before the ambulance arrived.

* * *

Nick and Judy watched Fang walk off as he left them alone, seeing him stop as he stood next to Bogo. It appeared that the two of them began to converse, as not long after Nick and Judy noticed Bogo briefly glance behind him in their direction with a content smirk before quickly looking away…

Nick couldn't care less what was said between them. All he knew was that he owed that Wolf his life, even if he considered them even now. He noted down in his head to buy Fang a drink someday… it was the least he could do to thank him.

But for now, Nick had finally got what he had wanted this entire day… even if it wasn't in the best place possible, nor was it the most romantic place possible. All that mattered is Judy was beside him, and they were alone to do as they wished, even if it was just for a minute or two.

After looking down the bridge to see their ride out of here still making its way, Nick turned to the fluff of warmth he could feel next to him…

Judy was looking up at him, now with a smug grin… that one she wore when she was only being as sly as he was.

Nick thought that clearly he had been rubbing off on her more than he ever realised.

"So…" Judy began, corner of her mouth turning up as her grin grew wider; "… you love me?"

"Really?" Nick questioned innocently, but with the signs of his own smug grin appearing, "I don't recall saying that,"

Judy narrowed her eyes, knowing what her partner was up to, and quite confidently accepted the challenge as the two of them willingly entered into a session of playful banter;

"You really playing it like that, huh Slick?"

"Hey… it's my word against yours, Fluff" Nick countered.

"Actually, it's your word against yours…" Judy boasted, immediately pulling out the big guns as she suddenly held up her carrot pen, displaying it for Nick to see, "Because… I have a whole signed confession, _right here_ , and I don't think I need to run this recording through voice recognition to know it's you, Nick,"

Nick knew he was already beaten there with that fact, but he wasn't going to let Judy win so easily. He went on the offensive;

"So what If I did?" he smarmed, "I don't need to ask, because I _know_ you love me,"

The statement caught Judy slightly off-guard. It wasn't the usual thing he would say: ' _You know you love me'_. No… it was different. Rather than reciprocating, Judy decided to tread cautiously;

"How could you know for sure?" she probed.

Nick leaned down to her, and with a confident whisper in her ear, he answered;

"Because I heard you say it,"

Judy pulled away, her brow unlevelled in confusion as she looked at the Fox curiously;

"How could you hear that?" she questioned, and paused as she gulped at the use of the word she was about to say, "you were pretty much… dead,"

"Well," Nick began in a matter-of-factly way, "that seems awfully dismissive considering you don't know _what_ happens when you die…"

"Then…" Judy pondered, hitting the pause button on their playful banter when she realised that Nick had indeed gone to the other side and come back, whatever it was like. Her curiosity peaked, not being able to keep the question from coming out; "What does happen?"

"Story for another time Carrots," Nick soothed with a warm smile, gently moving his paw to stroke Judy's uninjured ear, "But thanks,"

"For what?"

"For proving my point," Nick finished with a throaty chuckle, only making him chuckle some more when Judy rolled her eyes and looked away blushingly, the Bunny having graciously fallen for his little hustle, as she murmured out a question;

"Did you really mean that? That you could hear me?"

"Ehh, like I said, story for another time," Nick responded, a little unsurely, "For now though, just call it a wild guess," he finished as he then briefly nuzzled the top Judy's head, gently ruffling the fur between her ears.

She huffed amusedly at his words, and then began to hum at his loving gesture. She knew Nick still had something to tell, but respected his decision to tell her another time as it was something he didn't want to say right now… she could only wonder what it was. But for now, Judy simply looked up at him when he pulled away, seeing that usual smirk across his muzzle.

It took her a moment to realise he was staring at her head, trying to hold back a laugh… and that's when Judy could feel the ruffling of her wet fur had caused a tuft of it to stand on end to Nick's obvious amusement. With a mildly irritated glare at her sniggering Fox, Judy lifted her paw to flatten her fur, and the words just kind of slipped out;

"Sly Fox…"

"Dumb Bunny," Nick whispered playfully through his sniggering.

"Har-har," Judy conceded heartily, "But, that doesn't change the fact that you _do_ love me,"

…

"Yea… I guess I do," Nick admitted…

Quite plainly and openly that it somehow caught Judy off guard. It gave Nick some more amusement when he saw her fluster and quiver for a moment on the spot. A second later, Judy's ears perked up high as her eyes lit up even brighter than they already were at the words, and her adoring smile broadened across her muzzle.

However, despite Judy's reassuring reaction, Nick was still unsure about several things, and if he didn't let them all out right then and there, he knew he might never do it;

"It's weird, right?-" he began doubtfully, looking down and away from the Bunny before him, "I mean, I know we hang out a lot, we know a lot about each other and all that. But predator-prey couples don't tend to work out… that's just a fact, and I doubt Bogo will let us keep being partners on the Force if we're a couple, and…" he paused as he let out a sigh, "Judy, I think I'd feel confident in saying that you are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I just don't want to do something stupid and have it end up being weird between us! An-"

A single digit of a fluffy grey paw pressed to his mouth instantly silenced the flustering Fox as Judy raised her paw to shut Nick up. His eyes widened at the gesture, as did his ears perk up high in reaction, immediately bringing his attention back to his Bunny…

Nick saw her clearly. Judy's ears had lowered behind her head, and her eyes were locked to his. His heartbeat quickened at the sight… at the way those luminous lavender eyes seemed to shimmer with love, but also… a hint of lust;

"Nick… It's _not_ weird…" Judy soothed.

Slowly, Nick lifted his paw to take Judy's away from his lips, asking sincerely;

"Why not?"

"Because… I _do_ love you," Judy answered, "And that's all that matters… I've seen you at your worst, I've seen you at your best, just as you've seen me at both too, and… you've always been there for me. We've been there for each other," she looked away briefly, recollecting her thoughts before she looked back at her Fox, "And I think I can say as well that you are one of the best things to ever happen to me,"

"Only one of?" Nick curiously raised an eyebrow.

"Well… you're definitely up there in my top three," the Rabbit grinned.

"Charming Carrots," Nick exclaimed with fake sadness, placing his paw up to his chest, "you wanna give me another cardiac arrest?"

"Kidding!" Judy gasped, grabbing his paw away with both her own, "Of course you're number one…" she paused as she leaned up, now wrapping both her arms round the back of Nick's neck to embrace him, stopping just an inch from his muzzle with that warm smile gracing her lips, "So, hear me out when I say it's _not_ weird… nor will it ever be…"

"Not in the slightest," Nick lulled… his smile matching hers as he gently moved to embrace his Bunny, with a soft paw on her waist, and another on her upper back…

For a moment, the two of them remained there locked in their embrace, feeling each other's warmth, taking in each other's scent, as they once again stared lovingly into each other's eyes.

Until, Nick broke the silence, finally saying in person, the three simple words he had been longing to say to Judy all day;

"I love you,"

It was all he said, and was all he needed to say, as Judy was quick to respond with the four words he'd been longing to hear after saying his own three;

"I love you too,"

And without a moment to spare, the Fox and Rabbit leaned into each other, closing their eyes and quickly closing the gap between them when they finally pressed their lips together in a sweet and tender kiss…

It was unlike either of them ever imagined. It certainly wasn't Nick or Judy's first kiss of their lives. The two of them had their own share of past experiences.

But this was nothing like that. This was different; because it was _their_ first kiss with each other, and it was…

Better… _so much_ better. Better than the two of them could have imagined.

It was an odd feeling, but a nice feeling… warm, almost electric in a way. Like a warm tingling sensation spreading through both of them in their kiss. But if someone asked either of them what it was like, they couldn't begin to explain. It was simply indescribable, simply… amazing.

It started with just that first simple peck on the lips… but after such a feeling of pleasure and bliss, Nick and Judy lost themselves to each other, pressing further into the kiss as the rest of the world seemed to fade away into silence and their sense of smell was left full and besotted with the other's scent. They pulled each other closer, diving further into the embrace and never once allowing their lips to separate as they grappled.

Nick pushed his lower arm further round the back of Judy's waist, feeling her sleek, slender form in his grasp, while his other arm lifted to allow his paw to caress the back of her head, as well as stroke her uninjured ear…

Each ruffle of the fur on her ear sent another pleasurable tingle around Judy's body. She pulled at Nick's ruff on the back of his neck, as if trying to get even closer to him, even though that would be nearly impossible as their embrace grew tighter; Judy was only one step away from wrapping her legs around him. She just felt so safe in Nick's arms, the kiss so sweet and passionate. She didn't want it to end… neither of them did. It just felt so right, so blissful.

And if that wasn't enough… even if they themselves were lost to reality, it was in that same moment of searing passion that even the world around them seemed to bless their union, as the rain ceased to fall, and a haze of heavenly sunlight finally cut through the vast canvas of grey clouds still in the sky to shine upon the Fox-Bunny couple, now sharing their tender kiss underneath the radiant warmth of the sun…

And everything, truly felt right with the world.

At least until the kiss got a little to… _vigorous_ , prompting a physical reminder of their experience of the day when a shot of pain coursed through both of them, having grazed a blemish from any one of their many injuries…

With almost simultaneous gasps, Nick and Judy partially retreated from each other… also leaving them slightly out of breath when they disconnected from their kiss, and were instantly back to gazing at one another, only now with their wet fur glistening under the shining sunlight upon them.

"-Think… maybe _after_ hospital we can get more into that," Nick grinned.

"Deal," Judy approved instantly, and then lifted her paw to pull Nick's muzzle towards her own, "Now shut-up, and do it again,"

"Whatever the Bunny wan-"

Nick didn't even get to finish his sentence before Judy attacked his muzzle again, pretty much knocking him backwards when her lips crashed into his once more… although there was no hesitation from him when Nick instantly re-wrapped his arms tightly around his beautiful Bunny again. It didn't take too long before it turned quite vigorous like their first kiss, only furthering the thought in both their heads at how much of this sexual tension had been building up between them since they became friends. Clearly, there was quite a lot. But that was history now, _their_ history, and in the end, had led up to this very moment.

For another interminable amount of time, the Fox and Rabbit engaged in their second intensely passionate kiss and loving embrace…

And it was just as amazing as the first… and they both hoped, the first of many.

…

The only reason it ever ended was because as all living mammals did, they still needed to breathe.

Instead, after separating their lips and catching their breath, Nick lowered his muzzle, allowing Judy to reach him easier when they gently began to nuzzle… the as equally affectionate thing from a kiss for two mammals in love, whilst still keeping their arms wrapped around each other.

They remained there for another long while, until Nick couldn't help the comment slip out when he felt Judy's paw fall from his neck and rummage underneath his frayed open shirt to touch his still exposed chest fur;

"Hmm… would you look at that," he stated amusedly, "First kiss, _and_ second kiss… and you've already got my shirt off- OW!"

The sudden yelp came from the Fox when Judy had expected the comical comment from him as soon as Nick opened his mouth, and had sneakily grabbed the edge of one of the adhesive electrode pads from the automated defibrillator that were still placed on Nick's chest… and swiftly yanked it off, tearing out only _a few_ strands of fur.

"All in good time Nick," Judy purred with a cocky grin, whilst she placed her paw on the other electrode pad, preparing to yank it off, "there's still one more to come off…"

"Heh… sly Bunny,"

"Dumb Fox,"

Judy's grin grew wider as she grabbed the edge of the pad;

"Ready?"

"Err…" Nick began unsurely, with a slight grimace on his muzzle, "Just, be gentle with me- OW!"

Another yelp escaped his maw when the adhesive pad was ripped from his chest, again, only pulling out _a few_ strands of fur with it.

Judy was about to throw it away, but was halted when- unlike the last one, the pad had decided to upturn and stick to her paw, causing her to flippantly shake it. It gave Nick some amusement as Judy glanced back at him awkwardly, before she quite abruptly ripped the pad from where it had stuck to her paw, now pulling out a few strands of her own fur that Nick swore he heard her squeak a little ' _ouch_ ' before throwing it behind her…

"Not so nice, is it?" Nick joked.

"I thought those sticky pads were supposed to come off fur _easier_ … but-" Judy paused as she sniggered, turning back to her Fox, "that wasn't so bad, right?"

Nick was half scowling, half smirking as he rubbed the part of his chest where the pad was previously attached;

"Not really…" he said calmly, "just the blueberry on top after everything else today…" he chuckled, "but I should have known your definition of _gentle_ is: not very gentle at all,"

"Come on Nick," Judy hummed, leaning up to hug him again, "you know me better than that,"

"Course I do," Nick lulled.

Once again, the Fox and Rabbit entered into another lovable staring contest. Judy watched her Fox as that adoring warm smile from earlier appeared once more on his muzzle, and she was quite sure she could never get enough of it. She was overcome with the urge to hug him again, and practically launched herself at Nick despite already having her arms wrapped around him. A short 'oof' came from the Fox when the Rabbit grappled him, although Nick was quick to wrap his arms around her as Judy buried her face into the uncut side of his neck while he nuzzled the top of her head, and stroked her uninjured ear.

"You owe me a new pen by the way," Judy's muffled voice suddenly spoke out, proceeding to pull away slightly to speak clearer, and relinquishing an arm from the hug so as to pull out the tapered orange plastic that was her carrot pen, "because you know I'm never using this one ever again,"

"You're not seriously keeping that message are you?" Nick mused.

"Give me one good reason to not," Judy smirked.

Nick knew the reason why: he made that message when he still thought he might die today… but he wasn't going to tell Judy that. It was more than likely that she had already assumed that, considering he _had_ effectively died after giving Judy what would have been the last thing he ever said to her… even though he was later brought back from the dead. Nevertheless, Nick understood wholeheartedly why she would like to keep it, being his first official confession that he loved her. It warmed his heart that she actually wanted to save both the pen and the message it held as a memento even after he had now said the same words to her in person…

Though that didn't mean he couldn't toy with her a little.

It took Judy by surprise this time as Nick leaned down and hugged her, closed his eyes and began nuzzling her and gently tickling her with one paw, while the other tried to reach for the pen behind her back.

"Nick..." Judy drawled embarrassingly, though his wondering paw didn't go unnoticed to her, "wai- are you just trying to steal the pen? Is that what this is?"

"Hmmm?" the Fox hummed with a wide closed-mouth smile.

"Hey, stop!" Judy giggled as the tickling and nuzzling got more energetic, "Nick!"

"Alright… I'll let you keep it Carrots," he mouthed, pulling away and releasing his Bunny, still keeping that wide smile on his muzzle, "But you don't need it to remind you that I love you if that's why… I'll be sure to say it every day,"

"Aww, Nick…" Judy beamed, instantly hugging him again, "I love you too… always will,"

Nick hummed as Judy embraced him, feeling her warmth when he leaned down and whispered to her;

"My Bunny,"

"My Fox," the muffled reply came back…

And for now, the two of them just cuddled… during which, Nick thought about the comment Fang had made earlier during their heart-to-heart talk in the church, when the Wolf had said he and many other officers at the precinct thought the Fox and Bunny were already a couple.

Nick saw it now; how he and Judy acted with each other. Even now they were effectively a couple, they didn't sound like a couple who had _just_ got together. The way they acted, the things they said to each other… It sounded like he and Judy had been a couple for years.

Heck… maybe they _had_ , Nick thought. That realisation made him chuckle inside his head, as he glanced down to see Judy nuzzling into his chest fur and quietly purring. That sent another silent chuckle around his head, though this time it was rife with cuteness… enough so, that Judy would give him a solid punch if he had sniggered out loud, though after spending so much time with her, Nick had found ways around the, ' _c_ ' word. What he did do now however, was lower his muzzle and place a soft kiss on her head.

Judy looked up at him once he pulled away, the two of them entering yet another intimate staring contest-

Only, their attention was finally brought back to the reality of the world around them, when the sound of the ambulance siren they had both been blotting out of their heads finally stopped as the vehicle pulled up by the group of Police officers just down the bridge, and at least two paramedics stepped out.

"Guess our ride is here" Nick stated.

"Took long enough…" Judy commented, the slightest tone of distaste in her voice at the fact the ambulance should have gotten here a long time ago. Although, she didn't hold that thought for long. It simply took one of Nick's quips to cheer her up…

"Oh hey… Look at that!" the Fox suddenly spoke out, having checked at the cracked screen of his watch, and just about made out the time on the display, "all wrapped up before twelve," he turned to Judy with a grin, "so whaddya wanna do this afternoon?"

Judy laughed at the question, but was quick to respond with the most realistic option, as it was a necessity for both of them;

"I think we still need to go to hospital, Nick," she said sensibly, but matched his grin.

"Really?" the Fox's grin grew wider, "Because I was thinking we could go out some place… Catch a movie? Go for a meal, a drink… you know? Something simple,"

Judy smiled at the idea, loving the opportunity to just spend some time together with her fetching Fox, even though she knew Nick was playing around. He was quite aware he needed to go to hospital, even more so than she did. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, Judy leaned up and placed a peck on his uncut cheek;

"Maybe we can do that when we're both not covered in blood… and bruises,"

Nick quickly looked over himself… _and_ Judy, coming to the very quick conclusion that the two of them were certainly not presentable in their current state;

"Err, yea… good point," Nick conceded, although quickly put his smirk back on and cuddled his Bunny, "But, I still didn't hear a 'no',"

"Nick…" Judy droned.

"Alight!" Nick laughed, "I suppose a morphine drip, some antibiotics and a scratchy hospital bed will have to do for now, huh?" he paused so as to gaze at the Rabbit in his arms, "Though I think anywhere with you is the place I want to be,"

"Why, Nicholas Wilde…" Judy started sarcastically, "Who knew _you_ were such a romantic?"

"Get to know me Carrots, I'm amazing," the Fox winked.

"I do know you… That's why I'm _rolling_ my eyes," Judy responded, as she did indeed roll her eyes, but keeping on the sarcastic smirk-

To which, Nick knew exactly what to say to, as he had said it so many times before… putting on his own smirk, partially narrowing his eyes and saying;

"You know you love me,"

"Do I know that?" Judy pondered, bringing a finger to her lips whilst looking up in thought, before gazing back at her Fox, "Yes… yes I do," she then thrust her paw to Nick's mouth to stop him saying anything as she continued, still with that smirk on, "and, you know you love me too,"

Nick gently pulled her paw away;

"Do I know that?" he pondered, looking up in thought whilst holding Judy's paw, before gazing back at his Bunny, and placed a kiss on her forehead;

"Yes… Yes I do."

…

Then, the Fox and Bunny leaned into each other once more, sharing one last tender kiss: a simple short peck on the lips, before the paramedics came over to them with the full size stretcher from the ambulance… easily large enough for Nick and Judy to share. They both laughed off the fact they were already 'sharing a bed' when the paramedics greeted them and helped them onto the stretcher. As quick as they came, they took the Fox and Bunny to the ambulance, meanwhile Nick and Judy simply just held paws, thankful that this terrible day was over…

The job was done. The city was saved. The bad guys were defeated. And most importantly, the Fox got the Bunny… though most certainly _not_ in the primal sense.

It had been a long time coming: three years of working on the Force together, but Nick and Judy had _finally_ declared their love for each other… and it only took preventing a bio-terrorist attack and nearly losing each other forever in the process to persuade them into it. Now, after this most stressful day- their official first day on the ZPD SWAT Team, they couldn't possibly say this was the worst day of their lives… not after this. While at the ending of a very troubling time for Zootopia and its citizens, it was the beginning of something special for the Bunny/Fox cop duo…

Or at least, as soon as they'd had the once over from their doctors, and given the treatments they needed, because both of them- and a lot of their colleagues too, had not come out of this day unscathed. It would be a long road to recovery… a very long road. But at least Nick and Judy would be travelling it together, side by side, every step of the way.

And as soon as they were ready, the job would be there waiting for them… the two of them together, going off to do it all over again:

To solve the case. Catch the bad guys. May or may not rough them up a bit first depending on their cooperation. Bring them to justice. And as always, persevering to aid the citizens of the city they swore to protect and serve… gradually, day by day…

Helping to make the world a better place.

…

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N: And there we have it, the final chapter- and also, the longest chapter too. I wasn't too sure on the use of Bogo's 'Dirty Harry' reference, but I decided to leave it in anyway because I liked it. I did only just finish and edit this chapter yesterday too, so some of it may not be perfect as such. However, I didn't want to wait any longer as today is my Birthday and so this upload is as much a present to myself that this story is finally finished as much as it is a gift to all of you wonderful readers, and I cannot thank you all enough for making it all the way here. It did seem right and fair that after all that action and drama, I gave you something nice to end on, as this fic has had a particular lack of WildeHopps fluff… that was the intention after all. So I hope this last chapter has finally quelled everyone's addiction, and for myself, I think it made it the most fun to write.**

 **Overall, I know this fic has probably been a bit hard to follow, with the very short timeframe in the story and the long time it took to write and upload, and it most certainly went a bit off the rails and over-the-top…**

 **But then again, this story was never meant to be anything more than a novelised action movie, _including_ all of the clichés too. Not sure how well they all played out, but the idea always was: Good guys fight against unbelievable and unpredictable odds, beat the bad guys, save the city/world, but still get a bit bashed up along the way that may or may not include a near-death scene, and most importantly, if there's a romantic element, in the end the guy gets the girl or vice-versa… and that's it.**

 **Nevertheless, this fic _still_ ended up being a lot more of a story than I ever intended when I started writing it! Like, _a lot_ more. I'd go on and explain but that would be wasting your time and mine. Point is, after 1 year, 1 month, 12 days and over 200,000 words later, we're finally at the end of Zootopia: THE RAID, and I hope it has been an absolute blast of a read that you would be proud to tell anyone about who loves Zootopia ;)**

 **I will say now, I am planning on writing an epilogue of sorts, but I can't say for sure when that will be uploaded.**

 **I would like to write for the fandom again… I have _plenty_ of ideas that just won't stop coming, including my original story I was figuring out before writing this one, as well as several AU ideas. I _sort of_ have a sequel in mind for this story, but it's a bit crazy and convoluted and doesn't make much sense that I may not pursue it. However, I can't say for certain if I will write up another story anyway. For now, I just need to take a break from writing, but my plan at the moment is to go back through this entire story and re-edit it. I can't imagine making any major changes, and then I will update it here, as well as start uploading it on AO3 as well… so if you are by any chance interested in reading again, I would hold off until after I've done that, because then you'll be reading a (hopefully) slightly better story, now that I know exactly where it's going.**

 **In the meantime though, as this is the end of Zootopia: THE RAID, do me a solid if you haven't already, and hit that Fav and Follow button, and as well, do please leave a review… not just for this chapter, but for the story as a whole. There's lots of things I'd love to know your opinions on, like:**

 **Who was your favourite good guy? (Besides Nick and Judy). Who was your favourite bad guy? What was your favourite "boss fight"? What was your favourite action scene overall? What was your favourite moment of the story altogether? And also, what were your _least_ favourite moments that you think I could improve?**

 **All questions I would love to hear your own answers for, but it's entirely up to you if you want to… I'm not forcing you to write a review. Though, unlike what I have done really since January, I will reply to each review this time, depending how many I get or how many guest reviews, I will either do it over PM's or write up a reply chapter like I did back in January. If it is over PM's however, those of you who I have had conversations with before will know not to expect me to be _completely_ punctual, or my messages to be very short… as obvious by this ending authors "note", you can see I tend to go on… sorry about that! XD**

 **Anyway, before I shut up and let you all get on with your lives, I would like to say a very big THANK YOU to each and every one of you. Seriously can't thank you all enough for simply reading and enjoying my story, and I'm hoping it remains as one of your memorable favourites ;) I am, again really sorry for my overuse of cliff-hangers. I do hope I didn't cause any heart attacks with some of the _really_ bad ones… sorry! Overall… just, thanks. That's all I can say, over and over again: thanks. As long as you all enjoyed reading this story, I'm glad :)**

 **Right… that's it from me, if you've made it all the way through this authors note: congratulations! I'll let you go now! XD Hopefully you've got a review to write… Yes? No? And I am sure you've all got stuff to do and other stories to read or write… so, until next time you wonderful lot!**

 **-14sleepyhead09**

 **Or, just call me Sleepy ;)**

 **…**

 **PS. Before I forget, as I did originally base (the first half of) this fic from the plot to the film, even though I made some very considerable changes, go and watch 'THE RAID'. It is quite simply one of the greatest action films out there, and you will love it if you love a good action film.**

 **I shouldn't have to tell you the same to go and watch Zootopia… because why else would you be here? XD**


	39. Replies to Reviews & Thank You!

**First off, apologies for the misleading update, because this is _not_ a story update. The story is over. What were you expecting? An epilogue?**

 **Oh… you were?**

 **In that case, I can tell you that there _is_ one coming, but it is still a very slow work in progress and I can't guarantee any specific time that I will upload it… but it IS in the making, I CAN guarantee that ;)**

 **This update is just the replies to the reviews as promised, and to be fair to the few guest reviewers, as I didn't want to leave them out, I decided to do it like this rather than through PM's, but if you would like to continue any sort of conversation I would ask we do it through the PM system :) Anyway, terribly sorry for taking my time with these replies. Wasn't _entirely_ my fault as I'm currently battling a cold that can't decide whether it wants to be a head cold or chest cold… I mean just make up your f*cking mind! Urgh… **

**But whatever… to the reviews!**

* * *

 ** _Replies to Reviews_**

* * *

 **HelloPhilippines13**

The time really does fly by! Originally I had hoped to get this story finished _a lot_ sooner, but alas, that wasn't the case… tis quite shocking how many words an action sequence takes up! Nevertheless, I'm really glad you enjoyed it all the way, and also glad to hear you've been following right from the start, so thank you, and thanks for your review :)

 **Zootopian Fulf**

I'm actually surprised your favourite out of all the squad is Wolford, considering he has the least ' _screentime_ ' out of all of them, but I get it, because looking back I think I gave him some of the best one-liners ;) As for Roan being your favourite villain, I'm glad to hear that, as it shows I wrote him in right. Thanks for your continued reviews and many compliments- as with anyone, I enjoy getting them! I do hope I didn't cause you _too much_ trouble with the latter few cliffhangers, but overall I'm just glad you enjoyed reading :)

 **WarFox17**

Thanks for leaving me a review! And I'm glad you think this is one of the better stories out there, and I'm happy you enjoyed reading it :) I am however a little curious to know what you thought the odd moments were, so I might make them better, or at least, less… odd ;)

 **Guest**

Thanks for your review and your lovely compliment, and I'm glad you loved my story and was on the edge of your seat… as long as you never fell off it! ;) As I've said, I am working on an epilogue, but there's plenty of other fics out there that do go into Nick and Judy's life together that I don't think the fandom will miss my own version. Not saying I won't ever write again, because while I'm not sure I'd have the time, I would certainly like to.

 **Frostsilverhand**

I'm thrilled the fight between the three foxes was mentioned as somebody's favourite. I think it might be my own favourite too because it's the part of the story that gives Nick time to shine in a fight on his own, even if he had some exterior help. Anyway, I'm glad you loved the story, and that you was on the edge of your seat the whole time… that was always my goal ;)

 **Prince Maggie**

Unfortunately yes… this fic was always going to come to an end someday, but I am thrilled you loved it all the way through. I'm actually quite surprised that it was _my_ story that made you a WildeHopps fan, considering their relationship is more of a side story to all of the action and perils and there are a lot more fics out there where their relationship is the focus of those stories. Nevertheless, I am happy for that! And I am especially happy you love Fang and Catherine, and I'm assuming their relationship too, which is my personal little 'Frostmeyer' ship. I'm especially glad you like Catherine, considering she is the only protagonist OC in the whole story, even though I could argue I turned the canon characters into my own ;) But anyway… before I get into a real ramble, thanks for your review. I did spend a lot of time working on this story, and that's on research as well as writing, so it's certainly nice to know all that hard work paid off, thanks so much :)

 **Mustard Lady**

Little late to the party, huh? I'm just kidding! :D Thanks for your review and I'm glad you're liking the start, and I can assure you, it _will_ get ugly.

 **Martybraze - Guest**

It would be difficult for Roan to get his revenge if he's in maximum security prison. I hadn't necessarily thought of bringing him back if I did make another story… but like I said, I have so many ideas and I'm not sure I'll have the want or time to write them, although I am working on the epilogue for this story at least. And while I appreciate the dramatics and the compliments, I think you'll survive without my story… you could always read it again? XD Nevertheless I'm so glad you've enjoyed it, and thanks for your review :)

 **Anonymus - Guest**

Thanks for the compliments and your review! I'll admit that 'Roaracoaster' pun made me laugh more than it should have XD You're not wrong that I did overuse the cliffhangers… sorry about that. But, a long wait after a cliffhanger makes the next chapter all that more exciting, right? ;) Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed reading and am certainly glad to know the ending resolved everything nicely, even though any other outlying questions should get answered in the epilogue I'm currently writing.

 **bsmith1138**

I'm glad you loved it, and thanks for your review :) but as for a sequel I'll have to wait and see myself. Even if I write again it might not necessarily be a sequel to this.

 **Camoss**

Well… I couldn't _not_ have a rewarding romantic ending after all that bloody carnage, could I? ;) I'm happy you liked it either way, and I am working on an epilogue… though it isn't a few years down the road, in keeping with the story timeline, it's more like, a few days down the road ;)

 **Fox in the hen house**

Think I'll reply the exact way you reviewed, just to make it easier on both of us ;)

First, I am absolutely thrilled you enjoyed my story from start to finish, really I am :)

Second, I'm actually kinda glad you said this story stands well on its own, because I did sort of plan Zootopia: THE RAID to be a one-off and not a series, but I did leave it open ended enough if I did want to do a sequel. Then again, I'm not sure if I was to write again it would be a sequel anyway. I'm glad to hear you'd like to read it again, though I would suggest waiting until I've gone back and reedited the entire story, because then it may hopefully be an even better read ;)

Third… Honestly, I'm happy you liked each of the characters equally, as I did try my best to give them each their own personality and their own ' _screentime_ '.

Fourth… To your favourite bad guy, I can't blame you for not making a definitive decision there either! Although, personally, seen as you mentioned them, I think the Fox twins are likely my favourites anyway, even though they probably had the most gruesome deaths out of all the villains. However, compared to the other bad guys in the story, Max and Maisie are the completely genuine psychopaths, but that's only because of the unexplained back stories I made for each of them, though didn't include it in the narrative because it couldn't fit in anywhere.

And fifth… I am trilled the church fight scene is still your favourite, because thinking back, I think that one was still the hardest to write out of all of them, considering there are five major characters I had to include in it!

Anyway, thanks so much for you continued reviews, and again I am just happy you enjoyed the ride :D

 **GhostWolf88**

I'm thrilled that this has been one of your favourite stories to follow, and especially that you knew what sort of thing to expect considering you had seen the film I originally based this fic on… glad I didn't disappoint! ;) I'm also glad that 'Dirty Harry' reference went down well. I was toying whether or not to leave it in, but it fit so well with the scene I just had to XD

But yes! The twist with the inhaler I was hoping no-one could predict. I just wanted an idea that was both odd and original for that moment, and the fact that the Nighthowler serum in the inhaler is very different to the gas played a big part in that. I'm not entirely sure how or what, but I am planning to explain _sort of_ what it is in the epilogue… so at least that is still to come.

I'm happy Bogo got a vote for favourite good guy… especially after his merciless takedown on Roan and getting rid of the explosives ;)

I'm a little surprised Madelyn you picked as your favourite villain, because I never on-purposely meant to build up her character so much. Originally she wasn't going to be in the story after Nick arrested her in Chapter 1, but obviously you know I changed that. That being said, it's funny you say she matched up so well with Judy, because, even though I didn't originally plan it, I tried to make it seem that Madelyn was basically Judy if Judy was evil, in the same way that Roan is Nick if Nick was evil… not sure how that came across but that's sort of how I intended for it to play out.

Anyway, thanks for your reviews, and I'm glad you've liked my story. Can't say for sure I will put anything else out there, but eh… we'll see ;)

 **kirbster676**

I'm really glad you liked my story, and thank you for reading it. For you to say it's up there with your all-time favourite fanfictions really means a lot, seriously, thank you :)

* * *

 **And there we have it :) I did only go back to reply to the reviews I've had since the final chapter, so don't take it personally if I didn't reply to yours. If any of you still fancy leaving me a review now, I'll give a reply by PM… otherwise, you probably won't hear from me until I've written up that epilogue! I, I… I really need to get going on that. Though I'll admit, I'm just hoping someone out there would like to give me that 200th review… anybody? Yes? Please!? I'm just sitting there on 199 eagerly waiting for it! Or, is this just payback for all those cliffhangers I left you all on? If so, then… touché! XD**

 **Anyway, whatever happens, I find myself saying thank you once again. Seriously, thanks for reading, for following, favouriting, and especially to those who reviewed too! It's always nice to hear and always brings a smile to my face to see my reader's thoughts on the story, and just to know you've all enjoyed it. I did have a blast writing this fic, and pretty much choreographing those fight scenes too. If you have any questions about the story or the characters, ask away! But if not, then… I guess I'll see you all when I've written that epilogue!**

 **-14sleepyhead09**

 **Or, just call me Sleepy ;)**


End file.
